Turkey is against external interference in Iran: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that "Turkey is against any external interference in Iran". According to a statement issued by the Turkish Presidency's Department of Information, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, on Thursday. In the talks, he said that Turkey is against any external interference in Iran and attaches importance to the peace and stability of its neighbors. The statement from the presidency said that in the talks, the two leaders discussed the latest situation in Iran and President Erdogan said that resolving the issues without any new tension is in Turkey's interest as well.

Iran has been witnessing the largest anti-government protests in its history in recent years. After the widespread security operations during the protests, Iran's spiritual leader, Ali Khamenei, said in a statement issued on Saturday that "several thousand" people have been killed in these events.

This statement was the first open acknowledgment by an Iranian leader of the deaths. In the statement, Khamenei blamed the United States for the deaths. The protests and strikes, which initially started due to economic issues, have taken the form of a major public movement against the religious leadership that has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution. From January 8, protests continued for several days, with millions of citizens taking to the streets. On Wednesday, Iran's foreign minister gave Washington its most direct and open warning yet, saying that "if we are attacked again, we will respond with full force". On the same day, the first official casualty figures were released by the Iranian authorities. According to a report released by Iranian state television on Wednesday, a total of 3,117 people were killed during the protests.