Violation of states’ sovereignty worsens Mideast crises: Iran

Iran has warned that any violation of other countries’ sovereignty will worsen the chaotic situation in the Middle East following the deployment of Turkish armed forces on Iraqi soil to hunt down Kurdish militants.

Iran “believes that any measure undermining the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries further complicates the critical situation of the region and provides a justification for the intervention of foreign countries in the region,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on Wednesday.

She made the remarks a day after a Turkish government source said two units of Turkish Special Forces had crossed the border into northern Iraq in “hot pursuit” of militants from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Ankara’s decision came after at least 14 Turkish police officers were killed in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Turkey’s Igdir Province early Tuesday.

Afkham also condemned the deaths of civilians and security forces in the recent wave of terror attacks in Turkey.

The Iranian official expressed concern over the renewed clashes between Turkey and the PKK, expressing hope that the two sides would resume their peace

The PKK has been fighting for an autonomous Kurdish region in southeastern Turkey since 1984. The conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead.