Iran’s Armed Forces chief of staff denied today that a missile had been launched against Turkey, after reports emerged that NATO defences in the Atlantic Alliance member state had intercepted an Iranian projectile.
“The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran respect the sovereignty of Turkey, a neighbouring and friendly country, and deny any missile launch against its territory,” the Iranian chief of staff said in a statement published by the country’s media.
NATO defences in Turkey reported on Wednesday that they had intercepted an Iranian missile over the Eastern Mediterranean and that fragments of the munition had fallen in the far south of the country without causing casualties, as confirmed by the Turkish government.
Read more about this topic: Iran War: Turkey warns Tehran it will respond to hostile acts after missile attack
“A ballistic missile fired from Iran, heading towards Turkish airspace after crossing Iraq and Syria, was neutralised by NATO air defence and anti-missile systems stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean,” the Turkish defence ministry said in a statement.
If confirmed, the incident on Turkish soil — now denied by Tehran — would have been the first since the United States and Israel began strikes against Iran last Saturday.
Iran has been under bombardment by Israel since the 28th, when the Israeli state launched a joint offensive with the United States that resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Tehran responded with strikes against Israel and US-allied countries in the Persian Gulf.
