Iraq, Turkey condemn Israeli ‘aggression’ on Iran, warn against regional escalation

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday condemned what they referred to as the “Zionist aggression” against Iran and called for unity among Muslim nations to confront escalating regional tensions, according to a statement from the Iraqi premier’s office.

The two leaders “condemned the Zionist aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” describing it as part of Israel's efforts “to escalate and expand the scope of the war.

“This requires a unified stance from all countries, particularly Muslim nations, to stand up against the Zionist entity's aggressive policies.”

Sudani and Erdogan also stressed the importance of coordination and joint efforts to bolster regional security and stability, while the Iraqi premier reiterated Baghdad’s “categorical rejection of the violation of its sovereignty and the intrusion into its airspace,” denouncing it as “a blatant violation of international law.”

On Friday, Iraq filed a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council, accusing Israel of using Iraqi airspace in recent attacks against Iran.

Sudani also called for a meeting of foreign ministers from Islamic countries to be held in Istanbul to address the regional escalation.

Meanwhile, a separate statement from Turkey’s Directorate of Communications quoted the Turkish president as reaffirming support for Iraq’s sovereignty, praising its efforts to sideline itself from the ongoing hostilities.

Erdogan highlighted the importance of resuming nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran as the only path to resolving the issue.

On Saturday, Oman’s Foreign Minister announced the cancellation of the sixth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, which had been scheduled for Sunday in Muscat.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated the same day that that dialogue with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program has become “meaningless” following Israel’s targeting of Iranian territory.

President Erdogan further underlined the importance of “exercising caution under challenging circumstances” to prevent further escalation.

Tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv escalated sharply on Friday when Israel launched strikes targeting nuclear and military facilities inside Iran. Since then, both sides have been locked down in tit-for-tat retaliatory attacks.