Iran respects Turkey's territorial integrity - envoy

Iran’s ambassador to Ankara Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh has emphasized that Iran bears no responsibility for the recent missile incidents in Turkish airspace and is currently awaiting the findings of a joint investigation.

"We respect Turkey's sovereignty. Our Armed Forces, General Staff, and Foreign Ministry have previously issued statements denying any involvement in missile or ammunition attacks on Turkey," Habibollahzadeh said.

To clarify the situation and resolve any misunderstandings, we proposed establishing a technical team to thoroughly examine the incident, he noted.

"In our view, these actions may have been carried out by third parties, with the intent of damaging the friendly and fraternal relations between our countries," Habibollahzadeh said.

Regarding the regional military situation, the envoy asserted that Iran has not initiated any attacks.

"It is us who have been attacked. While we were engaged in genuine and sincere negotiations - efforts supported by regional countries, especially Turkey - our country was subjected to aggression. The United States betrayed diplomacy," Habibollahzadeh said.

He further stressed Iran’s right to self-defense, stressing they are defending themselves legitimately.

Earlier, the Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that NATO forces had intercepted and destroyed a third ballistic missile launched from Iran that had entered Turkish airspace over the Mediterranean since March 4.