Turkey warned in the last hours of the risk of escalation towards a global war after US and Israeli bombings against Iran and expressed its willingness to mediate tensions, while attacks in the region have intensified due to the subsequent retaliation by Iran, which launched missiles on several Middle Eastern countries including Israel after announcing that it considers all US bases and facilities in the region as “legitimate targets”.
In a written statement published on the social networking site X, Turkey’s foreign ministry said it was “deeply concerned” about recent developments in the Middle East, which “pose risks to the future of our region and global stability“, while condemning actions that violate international law and endanger civilians, as well as all kinds of “provocations” that “could lead to an escalate of violence”.
The Turkish foreign ministry urged all sides to stop the attacks as soon as possible and stressed that any dispute must be resolved by peaceful means. “Türkiye is ready to provide the necessary support for mediation,” added the official note, which also stressed that the safety of Turkish citizens in the affected countries remains a priority and all necessary measures are being taken.
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, has in recent hours maintained intense diplomatic contacts, including telephone conversations with his counterparts in Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Syria, Egypt and Indonesia, to discuss the rapid escalation of war in the region and possible measures to be taken to put an end to the conflict, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.
Netanyahu speaks of “existential” threat to Israel
These contacts come after Israel and the United States – which had made the largest military deployment in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, concentrating almost half of its offensive air power in the area – launched bombing raids on Iranian territory, sparking fears of a full-scale conflict in the Middle East.
The strikes are aimed at destroying Iran’s war and ballistic capabilities and its nuclear programme, according to Trump, who also called on Iranians to rise up against their regime, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called them a response to the “existential threat” posed to Israel by the Iranian regime.
Several countries in the Middle East and elsewhere have expressed concern about a possible regional conflagration escalating in the wake of these attacks. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, called on social media for “restraint on all sides” and stressed that it is “critical” to “ensure nuclear security” after Washington announced that Iranian nuclear facilities are among its targets.
The UK government, meanwhile, also openly expressed fears that the bombing of Iran could lead to a wider conflict in the Middle East, while Russia urged its citizens to leave Iran and former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused the US of using the recent talks with Iran as a mere “cover” to hide its plans to attack Iran, which US military sources acknowledge were drawn up months ago.
Largest air operation in Israel’s history
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have confirmed that nearly 200 fighter jets took part in the early morning bombing raid against Iran, striking Iranian missile and air defence systems in the west and centre of the country, in what it has been described as the largest military air operation in the history of its air force, according to sources quoted by Qatar’s Al-Jazeera.
In this regard, Iranian media reported in recent hours that an attack on a school in Minab, in southern Iran, killed at least 51 students, according to Iranian state television, citing a local official who updated the death toll.
A civilian was also killed in Iranian attacks that hit Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the last hours, as reported by the UAE Defence Ministry, following retaliatory actions launched by Tehran in the Persian Gulf. Several residential buildings were also hit in the capital of Bahrain, where videos on the internet show an Iranian drone hitting a tower in the city of Manama.
Kuwait also reported that at least 12 people were injured during Iranian attacks, although none of the injured are in serious condition; at least three members of the Kuwaiti armed forces were injured by shrapnel at the Ali al-Salem air base – where the US maintains a military presence – after the facility was hit by several Iranian ballistic missiles. Jordan’s military, meanwhile, also confirmed that it had intercepted at least 49 Iranian drones and 13 Iranian-launched missiles.
Iran warns of massive retaliation in letter to the UN
In this regard, in a letter to the UN Secretary General and the President of the Security Council, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that all US and Israeli bases and facilities in the region are now considered legitimate military targets by Iran.
Araghchi said that the bombardment by the combined Israeli and US forces constitutes a clear violation of Article 2, paragraph 4 of the UN Charter, and that in response to this act of aggression, “the Islamic Republic of Iran is exercising its inherent and legitimate right to self-defence in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter”.
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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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