Space Travel News
DEMOCRACY
Turkey warns over 'dangerous' bid to stir civil war in Iran

Turkey warns over 'dangerous' bid to stir civil war in Iran

by AFP Staff Writers
Istanbul (AFP) Mar 7, 2026
Turkey's foreign minister advised Saturday against efforts to cause a civil war inside Iran, while warning Tehran after NATO intercepted a Turkey-bound ballistic missile launched from Iran this week.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said any effort to stir up a civil war inside Iran in a bid to bring about regime change would be a "historic" mistake.

"We are against all scenarios that aim to instigate a civil war in Iran, that target ethnic or religious fault lines," Fidan told journalists in Istanbul.

"This is the most dangerous scenario," he added.

He was speaking after reports that Washington was looking to arm Kurdish guerrillas to infiltrate Iran, with US President Donald Trump expressing support for such an offensive.

However Trump said Saturday that "We're not looking to the Kurds going in".

"We're very friendly with the Kurds, as you know, but we don't want to make the war any more complex than it already is," he told reporters in a briefing aboard Air Force One.

Fidan said he had raised the matter with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had denied any American involvement in such an issue.

"They stated they are not involved in such an effort and have no such intention," Fidan said after the pair spoke on Wednesday.

He pointed the finger instead at Israel's "strategy of using Kurdish groups in the region as proxies".

Such a move would raise hackles in Turkey, which has fought a decades-long bloody conflict with the Kurdish militant group PKK, which it is now seeking to end.

"We are openly warning everyone... against this scenario," Fidan said.

"This will not only lead to more suffering and loss of life for innocent civilians in Iran, but it will also cause millions to be displaced and flee to neighbouring countries and beyond."

"After Iraq and Syria, a long period of uncertainty, war and turmoil in Iran is not in anyone's interest," he added.

"Any internal crisis there would have a ripple effect spreading throughout the region. That's why we're trying to stop it."

- 'Be careful' -

Fidan also issued a warning to Tehran after NATO intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran heading towards Turkey on Wednesday.

"We are not a country that is easily provoked," Fidan said.

"We spoke with our friends in Iran and said if this was a missile that lost its way, that's one thing.

"But if this is going to continue... our advice is: be careful, don't let anyone in Iran embark on such an adventure," he said.

Spanish Defence Minister Margareta Robles on Thursday said the missile had been spotted by Spanish troops manning a Patriot missile battery at the Incirlik air base, a key NATO facility in southern Turkey.

They had "detected and reported the missile attack", she said, though they were not the ones that shot it down.

NATO "condemned Iran's targeting of Turkiye" and said it had strengthened its "ballistic missile defence posture" as Iran stepped up its strikes across the Middle East in retaliation for the US-Israeli strikes.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
DEMOCRACY
Hong Kong mogul Jimmy Lai won't appeal national security conviction: lawyer
Hong Kong (AFP) Mar 6, 2026
Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai will not appeal against the national security conviction for which he was jailed for 20 years last month, his legal team said on Friday without providing a reason. The 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper was found guilty in December on charges of foreign collusion and seditious publication. His sentence was the harshest penalty doled out so far under a national security law imposed on Hong Kong by Beijing after widespread pro ... read more

DEMOCRACY
DEMOCRACY
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4798-4803: Back for More Science

Mars relay orbiter seen as backbone for future exploration

UAE extends Mars probe mission until 2028

Mars' 'Young' Volcanoes Were More Complex Than Scientists Once Thought

DEMOCRACY
NASA announces overhaul of Artemis lunar program amid technical delays

Chang'e-6 farside samples reshape lunar impact history

The Race Is On: Artemis, China and Musk Turn the Moon Into the Next Strategic High Ground

First Crewed Moon Flyby In 54 Years: Artemis II

DEMOCRACY
Jupiter size refined by new radio mapping

Polar weather on Jupiter and Saturn hints at the planets' interior details

Europa ice delamination may deliver nutrients to hidden ocean

Birth conditions fixed water contrast on Jupiters moons

DEMOCRACY
Tough microbe study backs idea of life moving between planets

Stellar space weather may blur alien radio beacons

Study questions assumptions about hidden alien technosignals

Study revisits chances of detecting alien technosignatures

DEMOCRACY
New Wenchang lunar pad completes first Long March 10 test

Sateliot books Spanish Miura 5 launch for two next gen Trito satellites in 2027

China retrieves Long March 10 booster from South China Sea after test flight

Russian era ends at abandoned launchpad in South American jungle

DEMOCRACY
Dragon spacecraft gears up for crew 12 arrival and station science work

China prepares offshore test base for reusable liquid rocket launches

Retired EVA workhorse to guide China's next-gen spacesuit and lunar gear

Tiangong science program delivers data surge

DEMOCRACY
Ryugu samples record early solar system magnetic fields

NASA defense test kicked asteroid off course -- and changed its orbit around the sun

Amino acids in Bennu asteroid hint at icy radioactive origin

ESA signs Ramses spacecraft and cubesat deals for Apophis flyby

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2026 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.