Istanbul: Turkey on Tuesday said it was “concerned” by days-long protests that have engulfed neighboring Iran, warning against any escalation in the unrest.
“Turkey is concerned by news the protests in Iran... are spreading, causing casualties and also the fact that some public buildings were damaged,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding “common sense should prevail to prevent any escalation.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has tried to play down the unrest, which began over economic grievances in second city Mashhad last Thursday but quickly turned against the Islamic regime as a whole with chants of “Death to the dictator.”
The five-day unrest, the biggest challenge to the Islamic regime since the 2009 mass demonstrations, has so far claimed 21 lives.
Turkey — which was hit by protests against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (then premier) in 2013 — said it “attaches the utmost importance to the maintenance of peace and stability in friendly and brotherly Iran.”
The ministry said Rouhani’s statements warning against violation of laws and damage of public property should be adhered to.
“We believe that violence and provocations should be avoided,” it said, warning against “external interventions.”
Turkey, whose rivalry with Iran goes back to the regional battle for supremacy between the Ottoman Empire and imperial Persia, has had on occasion tricky moments in relations with Tehran.
Erdogan has repeatedly railed against “Persian imperialism” in the Middle East but relations have warmed in the last months as Moscow and Tehran work tightly with Ankara to bring peace to Syria.
Turkey’s conservative press on their front pages sounded grave unease over the protests, which the pro-government Yeni Safak daily described as a “dangerous escalation.”
It accused the United States of being behind the violence with the aim of the “Syria-ization” of Iran. “The Pentagon has started its 2018 chaos plans from Iran.”
“The dirty game is now in Iran,” added the Star daily on its front page. “The West is behind the sedition in Iran... if it’s successful there, the target will be Turkey,” added the Yeni Akit daily.
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Turkey voices concern over Iran protests, calls for violence to be avoided as death toll continues to grow
Turkey voices concern over Iran protests, calls for violence to be avoided as death toll continues to grow
Iran Guards vow ‘stronger’ response than in January if new protests erupt
- The warning comes two weeks into Iran’s war with the United States and Israel
TEHRAN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the country’s military, warned on Friday that any new protests against the authorities would be met with a stronger response than in January, when several thousand people were killed.
“The evil enemy, failing to achieve its field battle goals, is once again pursuing the instillation of fear and street riots,” the Guards said in a statement broadcast on TV, promising “a stronger blow than on January 8” in the event of new unrest.
The warning comes two weeks into Iran’s war with the United States and Israel in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says one of the aims is to “create, for the Iranian people, the conditions to bring down” the Iranian government.
US President Donald Trump has also called for Iranians to rise up and overthrow their government.
In December, protests against the high cost of living in Iran turned into a broad protest movement against the authorities.
It reached its peak on January 8 with what Iranian authorities called “riots” blamed on “terrorists” working on behalf of Israel and the United States.
The official death toll from Iranian authorities stands at more than 3,000, with the government saying the vast majority were members of security forces or passers-by.
NGOs based abroad have accused the security forces of deliberately firing on demonstrators.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, based in the United States, says more than 7,000 people were killed.
Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979.
“The evil enemy, failing to achieve its field battle goals, is once again pursuing the instillation of fear and street riots,” the Guards said in a statement broadcast on TV, promising “a stronger blow than on January 8” in the event of new unrest.
The warning comes two weeks into Iran’s war with the United States and Israel in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says one of the aims is to “create, for the Iranian people, the conditions to bring down” the Iranian government.
US President Donald Trump has also called for Iranians to rise up and overthrow their government.
In December, protests against the high cost of living in Iran turned into a broad protest movement against the authorities.
It reached its peak on January 8 with what Iranian authorities called “riots” blamed on “terrorists” working on behalf of Israel and the United States.
The official death toll from Iranian authorities stands at more than 3,000, with the government saying the vast majority were members of security forces or passers-by.
NGOs based abroad have accused the security forces of deliberately firing on demonstrators.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, based in the United States, says more than 7,000 people were killed.
Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979.
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