Daijiworld Media Network - Ankara
Ankara, Mar 5: Iran’s Armed Forces have denied firing any missile towards Turkiye, asserting that Tehran respects the sovereignty of its neighbour.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media on Thursday, officials rejected allegations that a ballistic missile had been launched towards Turkish airspace.
The response followed a claim by Turkiye’s Ministry of National Defence that a ballistic missile fired from Iran, after passing through Syrian and Iraqi airspace, was intercepted and destroyed by NATO air and missile defence systems over the eastern Mediterranean.
“A ballistic munition launched from Iran, which was detected passing through Iraqi and Syrian airspace and heading towards Turkish airspace, was engaged in a timely manner by NATO air and missile defence assets stationed in the eastern Mediterranean and rendered inactive,” the Turkish ministry said in a statement, adding that there were no casualties.
Ankara warned that it reserves the right to respond to any hostile action while urging parties to avoid escalation.
In a televised address, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkiye was taking all necessary precautions in coordination with its NATO allies.
“If we, as a nation, want to live in peace and tranquillity, we must constantly increase our deterrent capabilities. In these difficult times, we are leaving absolutely nothing to chance regarding the security of our borders and airspace,” Erdogan said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also conveyed Ankara’s protest to his Iranian counterpart, according to media reports.
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart condemned the alleged targeting of Turkiye and reiterated that the alliance “stands firmly with all Allies, including Turkiye.” She added that NATO’s deterrence and defence posture remains strong across all domains, including air and missile defence.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated there was “no sense” that the interception would trigger NATO’s Article 5 clause, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
The incident has drawn attention to the strategic importance of Incirlik Air Base, a joint Turkish-US facility used by US and NATO forces. The base played a critical logistics role during the 1991 Gulf War and later served as a cargo hub for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. While Turkiye denied US use of the base for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it was extensively used for anti-ISIL operations from 2014 onwards.
With tensions already high in the region, diplomatic engagements are ongoing as both sides seek to prevent further escalation.