Turkey warns against foreign intervention in Iran as Trump mulls options
Ankara is wary of the consequences of potential US strikes on Iran, warning they could trigger wider regional instability.
ANKARA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party warned on Monday that foreign intervention in Iran could spark wider turmoil in the region as US President Donald Trump ramped up threats against the Islamic Republic.
Details: Omer Celik, the spokesperson for the Justice and Development Party (AKP), said Turkey acknowledged the depth of Iran’s domestic problems but warned against outside intervention.
“The solution to these problems must come … through the Iranian state’s own national will,” Celik told reporters after a party meeting chaired by Erdogan.
“Any external intervention would lead to even worse outcomes,” he said.
Arguing that Israel was seeking to instrumentalize the unrest to push regime change in Iran, Celik added, “We see and anticipate that interventions carried out as part of Israel’s objectives would lead to bigger crises and deeper turmoil.”
Background: Celik’s comments came after Trump said on Sunday that Tehran had reached out to negotiate but that Washington could strike Iran before a meeting takes place, echoing his earlier warning against the Iranian regime’s use of lethal force against protesters.
While no official figures are available, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 483 protesters and 47 security personnel have been killed and over 10,600 arrested. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group cited unverified reports suggesting the death toll could be as high as 2,000.
The protests erupted in late December over the country’s deepening economic crisis and have since grown into one of the largest waves of unrest in years.
Why it matters: Celik’s comments on Monday echoed the position expressed by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who also acknowledged the Iranian people’s grievances but framed any attempt to push the unrest toward regime change as a geopolitical project that would ultimately serve the regional interests of Israel amid escalated tensions between Ankara and the Jewish state.
"I am absolutely certain that what Israel is hoping for will not be the outcome in Iran,” Fidan told Turkey’s public broadcaster TRT on Friday, adding that Tehran should urgently resolve its disputes with the West through negotiations.
While predominantly Sunni Turkey and majority-Shiite Iran have long been geopolitical rivals, Ankara is wary that any prolonged instability or power vacuum across its eastern border could trigger new waves of displacement into Turkey. The country already hosts the world’s largest refugee population, including nearly 3 million registered Syrians.
Turkey vocally supported Tehran’s right to defend itself during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.
Know more: The two countries share a more than 530-kilometer (330-mile) border with three active crossings that make Iran a key gateway for trade and transit.
Bilateral trade exceeded $5.6 billion in 2024, according to official Turkish statistics, with Turkey exporting machinery, plastics, chemicals, agricultural products and metal ores to Iran and importing natural gas, metal products and farm goods.
