Iran has denied launching ballistic missiles into Turkey after three missiles allegedly fired from Iranian territory were intercepted this month by NATO air defences over Turkey‘s airspace, in what Tehran considers ‘false flag operations’.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ismail Bekayi has rejected the accusations against his country, saying that “Iran has no intention of attacking Turkey. We do not attack any neighbouring country. Our defensive actions are focused only on the origin and starting points of any military attack against Iran”.
Bekayi made the remarks during an interview with the Turkish news agency İHA in which he discussed the joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran, relations with Turkey and the security situation in the Middle East. In the interview, the Iranian spokesman stressed that his country was the target of a joint military offensive during the holy month of Ramadan: “All honourable people in Türkiye should bear this point in mind. On the tenth day of the blessed month of Ramadan, while our people were fasting, we were attacked by the US and the Zionist regime. At the same time, our senior officials were targeted, which is an act of terrorism. In addition, an attack was carried out against our children in a primary school in Minab,” he denounced.
The Iranian representative claimed that two Tomahawk missiles were launched at the Shajarat al-Tayyiba girls’ primary school in Minab, in Hormozgan province. “The two missiles were launched 40 minutes apart. The aim was to distract our military and rescue forces, and then ensure that they could kill more people. At least 175 Iranian children were martyred in the first hours of this attack,” he said, adding that it was not an isolated incident and that at least 120 schools across Iran have been completely destroyed or severely damaged. “Attacking a country’s children is nothing short of genocide,” he said in remarks echoed by the Turkish daily Hürriyet.
“Iran has no intention of attacking Turkey“
Referring to the shells intercepted in Türkiye and Azerbaijan, Bekayi said the accusations were false. “The claims that missiles were launched from Iran into Turkey or Azerbaijan are false. The Iranian armed forces are extremely precise in selecting targets. We target US military bases and assets that are used to attack Iran. This is Iran’s natural right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter,” he stressed.
The spokesman added that the allegations about the alleged missile launch into Turkey would be investigated, again denying any intention by the Iranian regime to attack the neighbouring country: “I stress once again that the weight of words matters. We do not attack any neighbouring country. Our defensive actions are focused solely on the source and starting points of any military attack on Iran. It has been announced that the alleged munitions launched from Iran into Türkiye will also be carefully examined. Iran has never had, nor does it have, any intention of carrying out such an operation against Turkey“.
Bekayi also noted the importance of bilateral relations and said that the Iran-Turkey border is one of the most secure areas between the two countries. “The religious, historical and cultural ties and the feeling of closeness between us and Türkiye are extremely clear. Even the fact that Iranians travel back and forth between the two countries clearly demonstrates the strong ties and shared feelings between Iranians and Turks,” he said.
“These are attempts by Israel to play the countries off against each other“
Regarding the authorship of such attacks, the Iranian foreign spokesman warned of the possibility that they are false flag operations aimed at provoking tensions between Iran and its neighbours. “There is a possibility that some malicious actors carry out false flag operations to create discord between Iran and neighbouring countries. This is a serious possibility. Indeed, in the early days of the war, US sources also announced that Israeli agents were captured while preparing bomb attacks in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In the last 80 years there are numerous examples of Israel’s attempts to play countries off against each other through false flag operations, and they themselves have admitted it,” he recalled.
“Therefore, all countries in the region, especially the honourable and conscientious people of Türkiye, should take this into account. This war is not only against Iran and Iranians, but also against our common identity and religion. We must be very careful in an environment where this imposed war also aims to sow discord, create suspicion and division among Muslims. The attacks on Iran must be seen as a continuation of events that have taken place in the region in recent years. This is not an event independent of the policies that have been pursued in the region and in Islamic countries. The aim is to weaken the Middle East and the countries of the region, to separate and fragment them,” the Iranian spokesman concluded.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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