Iran warns Turkey over minister's comments on regional interference

Iran will not tolerate statements from Turkish officials that threaten historical and regional ties, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warned.

“Iran will never remain silent in the face of baseless remarks,” he told Jam-e Jam daily, responding to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s recent comments to Al Jazeera in which he accused Iran of risking regional disorder.

Iran was a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December by a Turkish-supported Islamist-led rebel alliance. “If this policy continues, I don’t think it will be good,” Fidan said.

Iran has also backed groups including Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen for decades with financial aid and weapons.

"If you are trying to cause anxiety in a third country, other countries can also disturb you by supporting groups in your own country," Turkey's foreign minister added.

Velayati rejected that Iran was destabilizing the Middle East, saying, “Iran is a powerful country with an ancient civilization that has always worked for regional security and cooperation.”

He cautioned Turkish officials against repeating “unrealistic and interventionist claims” and stressed that engagement and dialogue define Iran’s approach, but added that Tehran will respond to any criticism.

Iran's foreign ministry summoned Turkey's ambassador, state TV reported on Tuesday, following Fidan’s comments.

Without using the term ‘summoning’, the Iranian foreign ministry confirmed that Ambassador Hicabi Kırlangıç met with Mahmoud Heydari, the ministry's Director General for the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe, on Monday.

"The common interests of the two countries and the sensitivity of regional conditions require avoiding wrongful comments and unreal analyses that could lead to differences and tensions in our bilateral relations," Heydari said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Velayati warned against Israel for what he alleged as attempts to divide Syria, saying that “the groundwork for disintegration has already been laid,” citing rival factions including Kurdish groups, Alawites, and militant groups.

Iran's Shiite clerical government became deeply involved in Syria's civil war early in the conflict, sending regular and proxy forces to defend Bashar al-Assad's rule.

Iran, which invested heavily in Assad’s survival—spending at least $30-$50 billion—now faces the challenge of recalibrating its strategy. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has vowed on multiple occasions to reclaim Iran’s influence in Syria, adding further tension to an already complex situation.

Turning to Europe, Velayati predicted the European Union’s eventual collapse, citing deepening divisions over Ukraine.

“This is one of the worst periods for Europe since NATO’s founding,” he said. He argued that Europe’s dependence on the US had left it politically vulnerable, saying that “in the end, Europe will submit to America.”

On Trump’s stance in the Ukraine war, Velayati said Washington was pursuing an “empire in the Western Hemisphere” while seeking cooperation with Russia to avoid disruption to its plans.

“However, in the Eastern Hemisphere, countries like China, Iran, and even Saudi Arabia will not easily bow to such dominance,” he added.