Erdogan said that Turkey will not join the war with Iran despite the missile fire

Erdogan’s words were said after several incidents in which an Iranian ballistic missile launched towards Turkey was reportedly intercepted by the country’s air defense systems. The event raised tensions in Ankara and led to a public statement by the president regarding the security preparations.

During a meal to break the Ramadan fast, Erdogan said that Turkey is taking preventive measures against any possible threat to its airspace. “During this period we are carrying out all preventative actions against any threat to our airspace, just as we did last night,” he said. According to him, the main goal of his government is to prevent Turkey from being dragged into the growing regional conflict. “Our main priority is to keep our country away from this pit of fire,” he added.

Despite the interceptions, the Iranian embassy in Ankara denies that the missiles were launched towards Turkey, saying that “no ammunition was launched from Iran towards Turkey”. She added that Iran “respects the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the friendly and neighboring Republic of Turkey.”

He added a dire warning about the consequences of continued fighting: “This war must be stopped before it becomes bigger and completely engulfs the region in flames. If the conflict continues, there will be more loss of life and property, and the cost to the global economy will increase even more.”

The dramatic move came just hours after Washington updated its travel warning following the escalation. At the same time as the announcement of the suspension of diplomatic activity in Adana, the Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed that a ballistic missile that was launched from Iran’s territory and entered Turkey’s airspace was successfully intercepted by NATO’s air defense systems.

According to the report on the “Turkey Today” website, the remains of the intercepted missile fell in an open area in the Gaziantep area. This incident marked the second time in a week that a security incident of this type has occurred. The Turkish security forces closed the scene of the crash and started an investigation.