Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated clearly during a meeting with his cabinet on Monday that Turkey does not want to become involved in a war against Iran, according to Sky News.
“Our primary goal is to keep our country away from this fire. Ensuring the safety of Turkey and the peace of its 86 million citizens is our highest priority,” Erdoğan told his ministers.
His statement came on the same day that a second ballistic missile launched by Iran toward Turkey was intercepted by NATO defenses. Debris from the interception fell in a field near the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep. A previous missile had also been intercepted days earlier as it approached Turkish airspace.
Turkey’s position highlights its focus on national security and regional stability amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
