A prominent foreign policy advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei accused Turkey of working with the US and Israel to advance their influence in the Middle East.
“Turkey, in cooperation with America and Israel, has supported terrorist groups in Syria…Turkey also played a key role in facilitating the presence of US forces in the region and supported terrorist groups in Idlib,” Ali Velayati wrote in a commentary for the semi-official Mehr News Agency on Friday.
In what appeared to be a warning to Turkey, Velayati wrote, “Regional friends have been warned that any assistance in fueling conflicts will quickly backfire on them, and instead of trusting outsiders, they should stand with Muslims.”
The rivalry between regional powerhouses Turkey and Iran has heated up after Ankara emerged as a leading power broker in Syria following the downfall of Tehran's ally President Bashar al-Assad.
Earlier this week, Ahmad Khatami, a senior hardline Iranian cleric, blamed Turkey for Assad’s demise and warned Erdogan that he will face consequences.
