Turkey-Iran tensions soar over Tehran's ties with Syrian Kurds
Turkey and Iran's foreign ministries have "invited" their envoys for meetings days after Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's remarks on Tehran's regional policies triggered a wave of media coverage and irritated Iran.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on 26 February, Fidan said that Iran's foreign policy, which relies on militias in the region, had forced Tehran to sacrifice more than it had gained.
Asked whether Iran was likely to support Syrian Kurdish forces, which Turkey considers a terrorist group, Fidan was blunt.
"If you try to create unrest in another country by supporting a group there, another country might support a group in your country to create unrest for you," he said.
"Nothing can remain hidden in today's world. The capabilities you have, others also possess. Therefore, if you do not want stones thrown at your window, you should not throw stones at others' windows."
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Many in Turkey interpreted this statement as a suggestion that Ankara might also support certain groups within Iran, particularly among the country's sizable Azerbaijani population which shares linguistic and cultural ties with Turkey.
Iranian snapback
Iranian officials reacted swiftly to Fidan's remarks. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X that Iran had not pursued regional ambitions in the past five decades.
"We were the first country to oppose and confront the coup against the Turkish government," Baghaei said over the weekend.
"We were among the first countries to welcome the PKK's [Kurdistan Workers' Party] disarmament and consider it an important step towards strengthening security in our neighboring country, Turkey."
'We have issues with Turkey regarding Syria, and we hope that these issues will be handled wisely'
- Fatemeh Mohajerani, Iranian government spokesperson
Meanwhile, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani acknowledged on Tuesday that Turkey and Iran had "differences of opinion" in the region and described Fidan's statements as "unconstructive".
She also warned against similar remarks in the future. "We have issues with Turkey regarding Syria, and we hope that these issues will be handled wisely," Mohajerani said.
The diplomatic tensions escalated further when Iran's foreign ministry "invited" Turkish Ambassador to Tehran Hicabi Kirlangic for a meeting on Tuesday.
Iranian officials reportedly told him that "sensitive regional conditions necessitate avoiding inappropriate remarks and unrealistic analyses that could lead to disputes and tensions in bilateral relations".
In response, the Turkish foreign ministry has invited Iran's charge d'affaires in Ankara for a meeting, noting that Iranian officials had recently been publicly voicing criticisms of Turkey. It was also stated that a file on the matter had already been forwarded to the Iranian side.
Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli emphasised Ankara's preference for direct diplomacy.
"We believe that, in any case, foreign policy issues should not be used as material for domestic politics. In this framework, we prefer to convey critical messages that need to be given to another country directly to their recipients," Keceli said on Tuesday.
Despite the tensions, Turkey and Iran avoided formally summoning their respective diplomats, both using the term "invited" in sanitised public statements and emphasising their commitments to maintaining bilateral relations over shared interests.
Unclear intentions
Turkey and Iran have been regional rivals for decades, with Syria as a key battleground.
The ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December significantly shifted the power dynamics in the country, strengthening Ankara's position while weakening Iran's influence.
Since then, Turkish officials have been working to broker a way forward for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - which Turkey classifies as a terrorist group - and Damascus. The proposed arrangement would see Kurdish forces integrated into the Syrian national army, with PKK leaders expelled to Iraq.
Serhan Afacan, chairman of the Turkey-based Iranian Research Center (IRAM), told Middle East Eye that Ankara remains highly sensitive to Iran's potential support for the SDF or PKK.
Iran's interactions with the PKK and its affiliates have long been public knowledge, he said. But speculation remains over whether Tehran is directly supporting the group or merely turning a blind eye to its activities, which also extend into Iran.
"In consecutive statements made in May 2024, Turkish Minister of National Defence Yasar Guler emphasised that Iran did not give sufficient importance to the issue of PKK terrorists," Afacan said.
"Guler stated that when Turkey informed the Iranians about terrorists entering from their borders, they did not receive the necessary response. On the other hand, Iran had previously described Turkey's counter-terrorism operations in both Iraq and Syria as a 'violation of sovereignty' on various occasions."
While Iran recognises the PKK as a terrorist organisation, it does not apply the same designation to its Syrian offshoots, such as the SDF and YPG, aligning its stance with that of western countries.
'Iran's access to Lebanon has now been cut off, and it might use the SDF as an intermediary or a middleman for some access to Lebanon'
- Fereshteh Sadeghi, Iranian journalist
"It is not possible for Iran to quickly change its stance due to both its issues with the new administration in Damascus and the perception in Tehran that Turkey has 'taken over' Syria," Afacan said, suggesting that the Trump administration's stance on the SDF and YPG would influence Iran's position on the matter.
Fereshteh Sadeghi, an Iranian journalist and expert on the country, emphasised that despite their periodic foreign policy conflicts, Iran continues to view Turkey as a key neighbour and values efforts to improve bilateral relations.
She also noted that both Turkish and Iranian media often take a hostile tone toward each other, which should not be taken too seriously.
"I think Iran does not necessarily use the SDF against Turkey, but rather leverages them to advance its own interests in Syria," she told MEE.
"At the same time, Iran's access to Lebanon has now been cut off, and it might use the SDF as an intermediary or a middleman for some access to Lebanon.
"So, we should not assume that Tehran's engagement with the SDF is solely about positioning the Kurds against Turkey."
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