President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s penchant for alienating regional powers manifested itself again last week as he took an unprecedented swipe at Tehran over its involvement in Yemen and Iraq. Indicating that Iran’s attempt at regional domination is “intolerable,” Erdogan said Turkey is prepared to give logistical support to the Saudi-led military strikes against Yemen's Houthis, who are backed by Tehran.

The fact that he is due in Tehran on April 7 for an official visit makes Erdogan’s outburst even more intriguing. It was not immediately apparent whether this was the impulsive Erdogan the world has come to know, acting on his own again and putting Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in a difficult situation diplomatically, or if he was signaling a change in Ankara’s traditional Iran policy.

Erdogan also appeared to be moving close to Sunni leaders — including his nemesis, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi — who are trying to crush the Muslim Brotherhood, for which Erdogan feels a close affinity. It is therefore unclear whether Erdogan is changing tack in this regard.

Erdogan made his unprecedented attack against Iran during an interview with France 24 on March 26, when he also declared Turkey’s readiness to provide logistical support for an operation in Yemen. He said the Houthis and Iran had to withdraw from Yemen, and added that Iran was also aiming to increase its influence in Iraq.