President Rouhani, Turkish Counterpart Discuss Recent Unrest in Iran

During the Wednesday phone call, Erdogan criticised the stances held by US and Israeli officials on the recent unrest in some Iranian cities, saying Ankara is already familiar with Western media propaganda and interventionist comments by American and Israeli officials.

He went on to say that he believes the stability and security of Turkey is integrated with that of Iran.

Making an analogy between the recent unrest in Iran and the events in Turkey masterminded by certain powers, he said Ankara has the experience of facing Western media propaganda and is used to repetitious and interfering remarks from US President Donald Trump or Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu.

He also voiced Turkey’s willingness to boost relations with Iran in all fields, expressing the hope for a jump in bilateral trade in 2018.

Rouhani, for his part, referred to the recent unrest that caused damages to public and private properties and led to a number of deaths in Iran, and said the Iranian police’s prudent reaction to riots in some cities led to calm.

Iran enjoys full security in light of national opposition to rioters, he added, according to a report by Tasnim.

Reiterating the legality of protest rallies in Iran, Rouhani said the government would never remain silent on violent and illegal actions that threaten public security.

He also called for closer cooperation with Turkey in various areas, stressing the need for efforts to strengthen economic interaction through facilitated banking ties and use of national currencies for trade.