Iran renews threat to attack Turkey

An Iranian security official said if there would be any attack on Iran they will ‘definitely’ target the missile system which is planned to be stationed in the eastern province of Malatya as part of NATO’s missile defense project and they have a plan to counteract the shield.

“We are closely monitoring the relations with Turkey in the National Security Commission of the parliament. Iran has warned before Turkey that the deployment of the system will have grave consequences. General Hajizadeh’s remarks are entirely true and when we were attacked, it is our natural right to defend ourselves,” said vice-chairman of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, Hossein Ibrahimi.

Ankara conveys uneaseness before

 “Our armed forces have pre-studied plans and tactics against the NATO system,” Ibrahimi told Farsi-language Shargh newspaper. “This system actually aims to protect the Zionist regime, under the name of NATO. This is a problem for Turkey who authorized the deployment of the system. Turkey shouldn’t do this,” Ibrahimi said, commenting on whether a possible strike would also pose a threat to Turkey because the system was stationed there, Doğan News Agency reported.

Ankara previously conveyed unease to Tehran over the remarks warning that Iran would target NATO missile defense installations in Turkey’s Malatya province if the U.S. or Israel attacked by Gen. Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the aerospace unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu conveyed to his Iranian counterpart Turkey’s disturbance over recent Iranian threats to attack installations in Turkey when the two met in Jeddah on Nov. 30. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said the air force commander’s remarks did not reflect Tehran’s official position. Iranian officials have long criticized Ankara for deploying a U.S.-led NATO early warning radar system in its territories, but it was the first time a high ranking military official from Iran warned of a military act against Turkey.


/Hurriyet Daily News/