President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call on March 9 with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss recent regional developments, including the interception of another missile heading to Türkiye.
Erdoğan told Pezeshkian that the violation of Türkiye's airspace "cannot be excused for any reason whatsoever” and that “Türkiye will continue to take all necessary measures against this," according to the Communications Directorate.
Held at the request of Pezeshkian, the call came after Türkiye's Defense Ministry said a ballistic missile fired from Iran that entered Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean, marking the second such incident in a week.
The ministry said debris from the munition fell onto vacant land in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, but no casualties or injuries were reported.
On March 4, the ministry said a ballistic munition fired from Iran toward Turkish airspace after crossing Syria and Iraq was also intercepted and neutralized by NATO units.
Iran’s armed forces denied firing any missile toward Turkish territory, saying in a statement carried by state media that Tehran respects Türkiye’s sovereignty.
Türkiye is "negatively affected" by conflicts in which it is not a party, Erdoğan told his Iranian counterpart.
"Ankara does not approve of the unlawful interventions against Iran and Iran's targeting of countries in the region," Erdoğan said, adding that "targeting brotherly countries is not in anyone's interest and these actions must end."
The president stressed the need to reopen the door to diplomacy and said Türkiye has been working actively to help facilitate diplomatic engagement in the region.
During the call, he also expressed "deep sorrow" over a deadly Feb. 28 strike on a girls' school in Iran’s southern city of Minab.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington is investigating the attack, while Israel has denied involvement.
U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran began earlier thay day, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top security officials and prompting Iran to retaliate with missile and drone attacks across the Middle East aimed at American assets.
Despite the escalation, Türkiye has so far avoided direct strikes, even though U.S. troops are stationed at several bases in the country.
Erdoğan also reiterated his condolences for the passing of Khamenei and expressed hope that the selection of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as Iran’s new supreme leader would contribute to peace and stability in the region.
For his part, Pezeshkian said the missiles that entered Turkish airspace were not of Iranian origin and that Iranian authorities would conduct a comprehensive probe into the incident.
