Turkish Forum

Category: Iran

  • Turkey’s NATO radar to protect arch-foe: Iran

    Turkey’s NATO radar to protect arch-foe: Iran

    Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticises ‘brother’ Turkey for hosting an early-warning NATO radar as it protects the anti-Iranian Israeli state

    AFP , Thursday 22 Sep 2011

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    Ahmadinejad

    Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives for the 66th session of the General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011 (Photo:AP)

    Turkey’s hosting an early-warning radar as part of NATO’s missile defence system is to protect Iran’s arch-foe Israel, the official IRNA news agency cited the defence minister as saying on Thursday.

    “Installation of the radar system is to defend the Zionist regime since this regime is on a downhill trajectory and America has been forced to get involved directly to save it,” Ahmad Vahidi said.

    “We will not allow any foreign forces to threaten our interests and we will strongly confront any threat,” he added on the sidelines of a military parade marking the 31st anniversary of the start of a bloody eight-year war with Iraq.

    Tehran has toughened its criticism of the Turkish plan to host the early warning radar system allocated by the United States to NATO, with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticising “brother” Turkey.

    Other officials in the Islamic republic have said the deployment would create tension and lead to “complicated consequences.”

    Leaders of the 28-member NATO alliance gave their backing last year for the Europe-wide ballistic missile shield, which US officials say is aimed at thwarting missile threats from the Middle East, particularly Iran.

    On September 9, the foreign ministry in Ankara said the early warning radar will be deployed at a military facility base in Kurecik near Malatya in the southeast.

    Tehran has made maintaining a good relations with Ankara a priority in recent years, and has considered Turkey an ally for its refusal to implement Western sanctions against Tehran over its controversial nuclear programme.

    Tehran does not recognise the Jewish state, and Ahmadinejad has repeatedly dubbed the Holocaust a “lie” which he said was used as an excuse for Israel’s creation.

    via Turkey’s NATO radar to protect arch-foe: Iran – Region – World – Ahram Online.

  • Iran Agrees With Russia, Turkey to Build Power Plants, IRNA Says

    Iran Agrees With Russia, Turkey to Build Power Plants, IRNA Says

    Iran reached agreements with Russia and Turkey on sharing know-how and investment in power plants inside the Persian Gulf country, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing Energy Minister Majid Namjou.

    Power stations to be built with Turkish companies will allow the transfer of electricity to neighboring Turkey or to a third country, Namjou said, according to the IRNA report.

    Iran and Russia agreed in separate talks earlier this month to jointly build power plants in Iran for export, Namjou said, without giving details of the projects.

    To contact the reporter on this story: Ladane Nasseri in Tehran at [email protected].

    To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at [email protected].

    via Iran Agrees With Russia, Turkey to Build Power Plants, IRNA Says – Bloomberg.

  • Iran says NATO missile in Turkey not a “proper decision”

    Iran says NATO missile in Turkey not a “proper decision”

    ISNA – Tehran

    Service: Foreign Policy

    wh120 21TEHRAN (ISNA)-Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Sunday deployment of NATO defense missile shield in Turkey is not a “proper decision.”

    As to the deployment of NATO defense missile shield in Turkey, Salehi said, “It was not seriously offered by Turkey that much and has remained at the level of discussion only, in our viewpoint it is not a proper decision if it was going to be made. It needs a revision since there is no justification for it.”

    “Regional countries have lived together for decades and for the time being recent popular developments in the region are moving towards more unity,” he told reporters on the sidelines of Islamic Awakening International Conference in Tehran.

    As to Omani Foreign Minister’s mediation in the case of the two detained American nationals’release, Salehi said, “Many heads of states have mediated in the issue and we announced their mediation to the judiciary branch and relevant authorities and we hope the suggestion will be welcomed by Iranian judicial officials.”

    via ISNA – 09-18-2011 – 90/6/27 – Service: / Foreign Policy / News ID: 1849951.

  • Almost Half of Turkey’s Oil Needs Supplied by Iran

    Almost Half of Turkey’s Oil Needs Supplied by Iran

    TEHRAN (FNA)- Turkey has supplied 45% of its oil needs in July from Iran, a report said.

    A0986958

    According to a report by the Turkish Energy Market Regulation Board (EPDK), Turkey imported 2.9 million tons of oil from 22 countries in July 2011, and the highest amount has been supplied from Iran.

    Turkey imported 1.3 million tons of oil from Iran which was followed by Iraq with 340,869 tons. India ranked the third with 298,847 tons.

    According to the report, Iran met 45%, Iraq met 12%, India met 10% and Italy met 8% of Turkey’s oil need in July.

    Meanwhile, Turkey exported 531,281 tons of oil in July 2011, the report said.

    Iran and Turkey are major energy partners. Iran exported a daily average of more than 30 million cubic meters of natural gas to Turkey in 2010, which increased around 7 percent in the first half of 2011.

    According to the report of The National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC), Iran’s gas export to neighboring Turkey climbed by 50 percent in 2010 compared to the previous year, and by 100 percent in comparison with the 2008 figures.

    Turkey does not have sizeable domestic gas production but it is an important natural gas transit country. Iran is Turkey’s second largest supplier of natural gas after Russia.

    via Fars News Agency :: Almost Half of Turkey’s Oil Needs Supplied by Iran.

  • Iran asks Turkey to explain deployment of NATO missile shield system

    Iran asks Turkey to explain deployment of NATO missile shield system

    Iran asks Turkey to explain deployment of NATO missile shield system

    English.news.cn 2011-09-18 02:23:21 FeedbackPrintRSS

    TEHRAN, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) — Iranian Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi on Saturday called on Turkey to explain its plan to deploy a NATO missile shield system in its territory, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

    Salehi said the radar system which will be set up in Turkey has caused concerns in Iran and other neighboring countries, according to Mehr.

    Iran does not think such a system is necessary, taking into consideration the current developments in the region, Salehi said, adding that Iran hopes that Turkey will provide necessary explanations on this issue.

    Iran always seeks to solve its problems with the neighboring countries and to move in the direction of ensuring peace, security and stability in the region, the Iranian foreign minister said, ” We hope to continue the same path in the future.”

    Salehi also expressed hopes that all the regional countries will narrow their differences and avoid providing any opportunity for their enemies who are seeking to sow discord among the regional nations.

    According to earlier reports, a NATO warning radar system is going to be deployed in Turkey by the end of this year and it will be used to track missile launched from Iran.

    via Iran asks Turkey to explain deployment of NATO missile shield system.

  • ‘Iran, Turkey have no plan to launch joint operation against PJAK, PKK’il

    ‘Iran, Turkey have no plan to launch joint operation against PJAK, PKK’il

    c 150 100 16777215 0 images stories sep01 02 mh37TEHRAN – The Iranian Ambassador to Turkey, Bahman Hosseinpour, has dismissed claims that Tehran and Ankara plan to launch a joint operation against PJAK (the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan) and the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers’ Party), ISNA reported on Saturday.

    The terrorist groups of PJAK and PKK keep irritating Iran and Turkey, and therefore the two countries can launch “organized” operations against the groups, but organized operations do not mean joint operations, Hosseinpour told reporters after his recent meeting with Turkish Parliament speaker Cemil Cicek.

    Enormous damages have been inflicted upon Iran and Turkey during their fights against the terrorists, and thus the two countries can cooperate (on this matter), he added.

    Turkish media reported recently that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said that Iran and Turkey may launch a joint operation against the PKK.

    via ‘Iran, Turkey have no plan to launch joint operation against PJAK, PKK’ – Tehran Times.