Iran says Turkish military attack in Syria will 'harm Turkey'

"Any military attack on northern Syria will definitely harm Turkey, Syria, and the entire region."

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 (Photo: Khamenei.ir)
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 (Photo: Khamenei.ir)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Any Turkish military attack on northern Syria will only 'benefit terrorists', Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting on Tuesday. 

"A military attack on northern Syria would be harmful to Syria, harmful to Turkey and harmful to the region, and it would be to the benefit of the terrorists," Khamenei reportedly told Turkish President Erdogan, according to his official website

"It would not bring about the political move Turkey expects from the Syrian government either."

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian also said that Tehran will try to settle this crisis and "allay Turkey's security concerns through the political path," Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported.

"Naturally, under the current sensitive circumstances, one of the issues on the agenda is that instead of resorting to war and displacement of Syrian people, we can help solve this issue through political channels," he added.

The 7th Trilateral Summit Meeting in Astana Format on Syria is being hosted today in the Iranian capital of Tehran. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Turkish President Erdogan are attending. 

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Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad is also scheduled to travel to Tehran on Tuesday, Tasnim reported.

The Syria-focused Astana talks held in the capital city of Kazakhstan have been led by Russia, Iran, and Turkey since 2017.

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Some analysts see the talks as an attempt to undermine UN-supported talks in Geneva, Switzerland.

Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh in May already underlined that Tehran "is opposed to any use of force on the soil of other countries in order to resolve disputes."

Since May, Turkish officials have threatened to launch an operation in Manbij and Tal Rifaat.

The Shiite towns of Nubul and Zahra are located near Tal Rifaat and were previously besieged for years by Syrian rebel groups. As a result, Iran would not likely be happy with a Turkish offensive near Tel Rifaat in northern Aleppo.