Iranian Missile Aimed at Turkish Airspace, Turkey Protests and Delivers Message to Tehran
Turkish authorities summoned the Iranian ambassador to lodge a protest over a missile incident from Tehran that headed toward Turkish airspace before being shot down by NATO air defences. Ankara also issued a specific message urging Tehran not to escalate the conflict.
The incident occurred as Iran has been engaged in fighting with the United States (US) and Israel since the weekend. Tehran launched retaliatory strikes against targets in Israel and against Gulf states hosting US military assets.
The Turkish National Defence Ministry previously reported that a ballistic munition fired from Iran toward Turkish airspace was intercepted and neutralised by NATO air and missile defence units stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey is a NATO member.
The Turkish Defence Ministry said the projectile from Iran was detected after passing through Iraqi and Syrian territory.
In response, according to a Turkish diplomatic source cited by Anadolu Agency and AFP on Thursday (5 March 2026), Ankara summoned the Iranian ambassador to convey their “reaction and concerns” about the incident.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke by telephone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday (4 March) local time. In the telephone conversation, Fidan urged Araghchi not to take steps that could widen the conflict.
“Any steps that could lead to a widening of the conflict should be avoided,” Fidan said during the call to Araghchi, as cited by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
Tasnim News Agency reported that Araghchi told Fidan that Iran’s retaliatory attack was aimed at bases used to conduct military operations against Tehran.
Turkey is known to host a number of military facilities used by the US and other NATO allies.
The exact target of Iran’s missile was not clearly known. In recent days Tehran has attacked various locations across the Gulf region in retaliation for US-Israel strikes.
Separately, an unnamed Turkish official told AFP that the Iranian missile was “intended for Greek Cypriot bases but veered off course.”
Several Turkish officials said debris that fell in the Dortyol district in southern Turkey near the Syrian border was identified as parts of an interceptor missile fired by NATO defences to neutralise an “air threat”. There were no reports of injuries due to the falling debris.