Middle East
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a press conference with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Damascus on July 2, 2022. Photo: Louai Beshara/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s foreign minister on Saturday warned that any Turkish military intervention in Syria would destabilize the region, following threats from Turkey over a new offensive targeting Kurds in northern Syria.
"Any intervention by the foreign forces in the region is wrong and will make the situation to become more complicated in the region," Iranian state media cited Hossein Amir-Abdollahian as saying during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad in Damascus.
The top Iranian diplomat reiterated his country's opposition to "any kind of military operation in northern Syria" that "will cause regional instability," and expressed Tehran's readiness to provide any plan to resolve the conflict.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also expressed opposition to any military intervention, claiming that "Turkish claims to justify its aggression on Syrian territory are false and have nothing to do with reality," his presidency tweeted.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in late May that Ankara would soon launch a new military operation into northern Syria in aims of creating a 30 kilometer "safe zone" along its southern border.
The operation is aimed at expelling Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG), considered the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) by Ankara, from the areas of Manbij and Tal Rifaat in Syria's north.
Turkey views both the YPG and the PKK as terrorists and has launched successive offensives in Syria to clear swathes of territory from the former.
During another press conference on Saturday, Abdollahian stated that Tehran “understands” but “strongly opposes any military attempts with any justification” in regards to Turkey’s proposed operation in Syria.
Abdollahian's statements contradict the ones he made during a trip to Turkey last week, stating that Tehran "understands" Ankara's security concerns southward, adding that "maybe a special operation might be needed [in Syria]" during a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Tehran also opposes Kurdish opposition groups, frequently targeting them inside Iran as well as in the Kurdistan Region.
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