Erdogan says Türkiye opposes foreign intervention in Iran in call with Pezeshkian

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in a phone call on Thursday that Türkiye was opposed to any foreign interventions in Iran and that it valued its neighbours’ peace and stability, the Turkish Presidency said on X.

In a statement, the presidency said the leader had discussed the latest developments in Iran. It said Erdogan also said the resolution of problems without further escalation was also in Türkiye’s interest.

Iran is grappling with some of the largest anti-government protests in its history, having prompted a sweeping crackdown that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday said had left “several thousand” people dead.

It was the first public acknowledgment by an Iranian leader of the scale of the casualties, which he blamed on the United States.

Demonstrations and strikes initially sparked by economic grievances turned into a mass movement against the clerical leadership that has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution, with people pouring into the streets in mass protests for several days from January 8.

On Wednesday, Iran's foreign minister issued the most direct warning yet to Washington, saying the Islamic Republic will be “firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack."

In the first official toll from the authorities, a statement by Iran's foundation for veterans and martyrs, cited by state television, said on Wednesday that a total of 3,117 people were killed during protests.