Tehran, Iran - Iran is urging Turkey no to go ahead with an attack on Syrian Kurds following President Donald Trump's decision to abandon the Kurdish fighters ahead of the expected Turkish incursion into northeastern Syria.
Iranian state TV reported Tuesday that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, to express Tehran's opposition to the anticipated Turkish operation.
Zarif urged Turkey to respect Syria's integrity and sovereignty.
Iran, Turkey and Russia have been working together as part of the so-called Astana group on the Syrian civil war, talks that have run parallel to UN efforts to find a solution to the conflict.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks during a news conference in Ankara, Turkey. Picture: Presidential Press Service via AP
US military vehicles travel down a main road in northeast Syria. US-backed Kurdish-led forces in Syria said American troops began withdrawing Monday from their positions along Turkey's border in northeastern Syria, ahead of an anticipated Turkish invasion that the Kurds say will overturn five years of achievements in the battle against the Islamic State group. Picture: ANHA via AP
Trump this week declared that US troops will step aside for an expected Turkish attack on the Syrian Kurds, longtime US allies against the Islamic State group.