Turkey’s top diplomat said on Saturday that Iran was denying responsibility for ballistic missiles fired toward Turkey despite what Ankara says is technical evidence.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said he had spoken with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi after NATO defense systems on Friday shot down another ballistic missile launched from Iran, the third such incident in nine days.
“Once again, they are not taking responsibility for this incident. They claim they did not order any such attack nor are they linked to it,” Fidan said.
“Of course, there is technical data available, and we are discussing the discrepancy between their statements and the reality with them,” he said, adding that the issue was being addressed at both the diplomatic and military levels.
Fidan said Turkey would resist all provocations and warned that the country’s deterrence capacity was “extremely strong.”
“We always know exactly where and when to use our strength,” he said.
NATO shot down a first ballistic missile from Iran on March 4 and a second on Monday, March 9. Iran denied involvement in both cases.
US troops are stationed at two Turkish bases that are key NATO facilities: İncirlik Air Base near the southern city of Adana, and a radar station in Kürecik in central Turkey that serves as an early warning site for missile launches from Iran.
© Agence France-Presse
