Turkish president says Iran has legitimate right to defend itself against Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared on Wednesday that Iran has the “legitimate” right to protect itself amid Israel’s ongoing bombing campaign, AFP reports.

“It is a very natural, legitimate and legal right for Iran to defend itself against Israel’s thuggery and state terrorism,” Erdogan said, a day after calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the biggest threat to the security of the region”.

“These attacks took place during the Iranian nuclear negotiations,” he added.

“Israel, which possesses nuclear weapons and ignores international rules, launched a terrorist act before the talks concluded.”

Erdogan warned that Turkey is closely monitoring Israel’s assaults on Iran, with all government institutions on high alert for any fallout.

“We are preparing for every possible scenario. Nobody should dare to test us,” he said.

On Monday, Erdoğan ordered the defence industry to boost production of medium- and long-range missiles to “increase its level of deterrence” amid the air war between Israel and Iran.