'Iran will bomb Turkey if the country invades Syria'

[Surenas]

Turkish officials have told Western countries that Turkey might launch a military operation in Syria's north to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's regime, a Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Monday.

“Turkey informed Britain, France, Italy, Germany and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leadership of the possibility that it would launch an offensive in … Aleppo, Homs, Hama and Latakia,” As-Seyassah daily quoted an unnamed British officials as saying, according to the Lebanese news website nowlebanon.com.

The report comes amid fears of undesired confrontation between the Turkish and Syrian armies along the border. About 12,000 Syrians have fled their homes in northern towns and have taken refuge on the Turkish side of the border. The Syrian army is reportedly reinforcing troops near the Turkish border to prevent further inflows of refugees towards Turkey. The Turkish military is also reportedly considering reinforcing border troops. Senior Turkish commanders have recently traveled to the border province of Hatay to inspect the border area.

“Turkish officials fear the possibility of the Syrian army committing mistakes on its borders, which might oblige the Turkish army to cross the Syrian border,” the Kuwaiti daily quoted a Lebanese diplomat in Ankara as saying. The Syrian government's brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters has brought once-close Turkish-Syrian relations to a breaking point, with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan describing the Syrian response to protests as “savagery.”

Earlier, a columnist for Lebanese daily al-Akhbar, said to be close to Hezbollah, claimed that Iran had threatened Turkey that if it were to be used as a platform for NATO action against Syria, then Iran would bomb US and NATO bases in Turkey. A columnist for the newspaper also said Iran sees the preservation of the Syrian regime as the preservation of the Iranian and Lebanese governments.

http://www.newsbad.com/story/breaking-turkey-tells-west-it-might-launch-offensive-against-syria-iran-threatens-bomb-usnato-

[londontsi]

Re: 'Iran will bomb Turkey if the country invades Syria'

Iran denies it threatened Turkey, slams Western media

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-248869-iran-denies-it-threatened-turkey-slams-western-media.html

A clear case of Western media misinformation.

[Armanen]

Re: 'Iran will bomb Turkey if the country invades Syria'

More to this story than either link conveys. Iran has made it clear to the turks that an adventure in Syria will not be looked upon kindly, and certainly Tehran has a number of tools which it can employ, short of overt war, against turkey in case it invades Syria.

[retro]

Re: 'Iran will bomb Turkey if the country invades Syria'

Ali Geranmayeh: Neither Iran, not Armenia benefit from the growth of Turkey’s role in the region

“Neither Iran, not Armenia benefit from the growth of Turkey’s role in the region,” said Ali Geranmayeh, a former Iranian diplomat, who teaches political science at the University of London.

“What’s happening in the Arab world, is being done for Islam rather than for the sake of democracy and economy, while Iran’s reaction to the events taking place in the East is not realistic,” Ali Geranmayeh said at a seminar on “The influence of Eastern revolutions in Iran” organized by the Armenian Center of National and International Studies.

He compared the democratic movements in the Arab World that started in 2011 to the processes taking place in the Soviet Union in late 1980s and voiced hope that today’s developments will have the same outcome as the events of 1989.

How will the Turkish-Iranian relations develop in the future? Both countries claim to unite the Islamic world and both are trying to play a role in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, while both have discrepancies on the two issues. Ali Geranmayeh says Turkey is more successful and economically stronger.

Lecturer of the London University says the Turkish-Iranian relations are normal. “Iran wants to improve relations with Armenia, but is delicate on issues connected with Turkey,” he said.

http://www.armradio.am/eng/news/?part=pol&id=20370

[retro]

Re: 'Iran will bomb Turkey if the country invades Syria'

More to this story than either link conveys. Iran has made it clear to the turks that an adventure in Syria will not be looked upon kindly, and certainly Tehran has a number of tools which it can employ, short of overt war, against turkey in case it invades Syria.

Whilst Syria is a Sunni state. Turkey and Syria have had troubled relations for years and Syria is clearly very unstable. Iran isn't a counter to Turkey, on any level and the Iranians bark is a lot bigger than their bite.

[HermanGerman]

Re: 'Iran will bomb Turkey if the country invades Syria'

Whilst Syria is a Sunni state. Turkey and Syria have had troubled relations for years and Syria is clearly very unstable. Iran isn't a counter to Turkey, on any level and the Iranians bark is a lot bigger than their bite.

Syria is a state ruled by Alevis, not Sunnis !

[Mos]

Re: 'Iran will bomb Turkey if the country invades Syria'

Iran is not stupid enough to risk a wide regional conflict with Turkey, plus they have great economic relations now, and given the sanctions, I doubt Iran wants to give that up. Nor do I think Turkey will attack Syria, just scare tactics, that's all.

[KanadaHye]

Re: 'Iran will bomb Turkey if the country invades Syria'

Iran is not stupid enough to risk a wide regional conflict with Turkey, plus they have great economic relations now, and given the sanctions, I doubt Iran wants to give that up. Nor do I think Turkey will attack Syria, just scare tactics, that's all.

Iran would have no choice since they would most certainly be next on the hit list. I don't think Turkey would allow NATO to use it as a base against Syria but if they were under extreme pressure or if the pot was sweetened then Turkey might think it would be an easy way for them to gain more regional power. The EU-Turkey deal is done for since the EU is economically crippled. Iran wouldn't attack Turkey but just drive NATO off of its turf. It would be nice to see NATO abolished, it has just become a bureaucratic military installment that has outlived its usefulness since the "Red Scare". All of this could be a possibility.... not probable but possible.

[Mos]

Re: 'Iran will bomb Turkey if the country invades Syria'

It would be nice to see NATO abolished, it has just become a bureaucratic military installment that has outlived its usefulness since the "Red Scare". All of this could be a possibility.... not probable but possible.

I agree, NATO has become kind of useless, and it acts just like another branch of US military. NATO actually isn't very popular in Europe, especially in countries such as Germany.

I wouldn't be surprised if Turkey gets out of NATO one day, and I agree that EU-Turkey membership is all but done. Turkey's economy is in better shape than EU's and I doubt Turkey wants to join the sinking ship.

[Armanen]

Re: 'Iran will bomb Turkey if the country invades Syria'

Whilst Syria is a Sunni state. Turkey and Syria have had troubled relations for years and Syria is clearly very unstable. Iran isn't a counter to Turkey, on any level and the Iranians bark is a lot bigger than their bite.

Please leave politics to those who understand it. Iran is a counter to turkey and has been for centuries. They are natural geopolitical rivals, same with Russia and turkey. Iran has built close ties with the Syrian government in a number of spheres and they can use their agents of influence within Syria to make life hell for the turks and nato should the latter decide to interfere in Syrian affairs.