Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey does not support any scenario involving foreign intervention in Iran, during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to Turkey’s presidency.
The call, announced by the Communications Directorate on Thursday, focused on recent developments in Iran, bilateral ties and broader regional issues. Erdoğan said Turkey closely follows events in Iran and attaches importance to the country’s peace and stability.
Cumhurbaşkanımız Sayın Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, İran Cumhurbaşkanı Mesud Pezeşkiyan ile bir telefon görüşmesi gerçekleştirdi.
Liderler, Türkiye ile İran ikili ilişkileri ve bölgesel konuları ele aldı.
Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan görüşmede, İran’da yaşanan hadiseleri yakından takip…
— T.C. İletişim Başkanlığı (@iletisim) January 22, 2026
A series of protests starting in late December rattled Iran’s clerical leadership under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei but faded away after a crackdown that activists say killed thousands.
During the protests US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened military intervention if security forces kill peaceful protesters. He also vowed to take “very strong action” if any of the detained protesters were executed.
Erdoğan said Ankara has never viewed foreign intervention in Iran positively, adding that preventing further escalation in the region is also in Turkey’s interest, according to the statement.
He also stressed the importance of resolving problems through dialogue and warned that avoiding heightened tensions would benefit not only Iran but the wider region.
Meanwhile, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, on Thursday warned Israel and the US against “miscalculations” in the wake of mass protests, saying the force had its “finger on the trigger.”
US President Trump has repeatedly left open the option of new military action against the Islamic Republic after Washington backed and joined Israel’s 12-day war in June, while Iranian authorities have constantly accused the US and Israel of allegedly arming and funding the protests.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that “the future for the Iranian people can only be in a regime change,” adding that “the Ayatollah regime is in quite a fragile situation.”
Giving their first official toll from the protests, Iranian authorities on Wednesday said 3,117 people were killed.
Of its 3,117 toll, 2,427 people were described as martyrs, members of security forces and innocent bystanders, while the others were referred to as rioters.
However, rights groups say the actual number of those killed could be far higher and even extend to over 20,000, claiming that the heavy toll was caused by security forces firing directly on protesters.