Turkey warns Iran not to repeat ballistic missile incident

Istanbul — Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that Ankara had warned Tehran to prevent a repetition of the ballistic missile incident in Turkey. ‘We are not a country that is easily provoked; we do not hesitate to defend our airspace,’ Fidan said. ‘We know what it feels like to be dragged into war. We discussed this with our Iranian counterparts and told them that if this was a ’missing’ missile, it would be a different matter,’ he added. However, if a similar incident recurs, he urged Tehran to be cautious. ‘No one in Iran should involve themselves in such an adventure, as Turkey has so far demonstrated a friendly stance aimed at achieving peace,’ Fidan said at a press conference in Istanbul after the informal meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of Turkic States. On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a series of strikes at several targets inside Iran, including Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. Iran’s state television confirmed the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as a result of the attack. Iran then responded by launching missiles at Israeli territory and at US military facilities in the Middle East.