Turkey denies role in US-Israeli strikes on Iran nuclear sites
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Turkey has denied claims that its airspace was used by US or Israeli forces during recent airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, distancing itself from the aggression amid escalating regional tensions.
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Flags of Turkey are lined up at the Presidential Palace, April 18, 2018, Ankara (AP)
The Turkish government has firmly rejected reports alleging that American or Israeli military aircraft used its airspace during the recent coordinated strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
In a statement released Monday, the presidential administration denounced the claims as baseless, stating: "The claims by various media outlets that 'US bombers used Turkish airspace during their attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities' are disinformation."
The statement further clarified that "Turkish airspace has not been violated in any way during Israeli attacks on Iran, and Turkish airspace has never been used during attacks conducted by the United States against Iran's nuclear facilities."
Airspace Denial
The timing of Turkey's denial comes just days after Washington, in coordination with Tel Aviv, launched a series of airstrikes on Iran under the banner of Operation Midnight Hammer—an assault that employed B-2 stealth bombers and bunker-buster munitions in an unprecedented show of brute force.
The targets included sovereign nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, all of which remain under IAEA safeguards and fully compliant with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
These attacks followed weeks of Israeli provocations, including multiple strikes on Iranian missile infrastructure and research centers, all in violation of international law. The objective was to sabotage Iran's peaceful nuclear program and provoke a regional confrontation.
Yet Tehran, acting within its legitimate right to self-defense, responded earlier in the day with precision strikes against US military bases in Iraq and Qatar, as well as retaliatory operations targeting Israeli positions.
Read more: Iran says targeted US Qatar air base under Op. Annunciation of Victory
It is worth noting that Turkey hosts several US military installations, including the strategically important Incirlik Air Base and the Kürecik radar station, making it a key NATO outpost in the region.
