Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visiting Tehran, that a possible military operation by the Turkish army in northern Syria would be "
detrimental
" for the region.
A summit bringing together the Iranian, Turkish and Russian presidents is scheduled for Tuesday July 19 in Tehran to discuss the Syrian conflict in particular.
Moscow, Ankara and Tehran are three major players in the war that has ravaged Syria since 2011, with Russia and Iran supporting Bashar al-Assad's regime and Ankara supporting rebels.
The three countries launched the so-called Astana process in 2017, officially aimed at bringing peace to Syria.
Towards a Turkish armed intervention?
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking to create a 30 kilometer "
safe zone
" on the border with Syria, hopes to get the green light from Iran and Russia for an armed intervention in the northwest of the country.
Such an attack "
will not lead to the political action expected from the Syrian government
", warned Ali Khamenei, adding that "
Iran, Turkey, Syria and Russia must solve the problem through dialogue
".
The Turkish army, present in areas of northern Syrian territory bordering Turkey, launched between 2016 and 2019 with the help of Syrian auxiliaries three major operations in Syria.
She wants to launch a new operation against two localities under the control of the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia accused by Turkey of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - classified as terrorist by Ankara.
Read alsoStrikes in Syria: Erdogan says Moscow does not want a “lasting peace”
The Iranian Supreme Leader has finally assured Recep Tayyip Erdogan that his country will “
cooperate
” with Turkey in its “
fight against terrorism
”.
"
We must oppose terrorism, but an attack in Syria will benefit terrorists
," said Ali Khamenei, stressing that "
terrorists are not limited to a specific group
".
