Nov 25, 2015

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani criticized Turkey for shooting down a Russian military aircraft Nov. 24 on the Syrian-Turkish border. While Rouhani was diplomatic in his criticism, conservative Iranian media lashed out against Turkey and its policies in Syria.

Contrary to Turkish claims, Rouhani said Nov. 25 that the Russian Su-24 was struck inside Syria’s borders. He added, “assuming it was close to Turkey’s borders, missiles and planes are not toys that someone could decide to shoot them down in the air.”

Rouhani called Turkey’s actions “provocative,” adding, “We want our neighbor and friend Turkey to be seriously watchful of the situation, because the circumstances are very sensitive.” He added that Iran is not happy to see a deterioration in Russia-Turkey relations, saying that it is neither in Iran’s nor the region’s interests, especially in the fight against terrorism.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on all sides to show restraint, saying that conflict between the two nations aids terrorists. During the Nov. 25 press conference, Zarif said the incident should be used as an opportunity to create a broader coalition to fight terrorism in the region “without preconditions.”

Iran’s hard-line media, however, saw Turkey’s actions in the broader context of the country's and NATO’s policies in the region. The top story in Vatan-e Emrooz was headlined “Turkey’s playing with fire.” The article called Turkey, along with Qatar and Saudi Arabia, “supporters of terrorism.” Javan Newspaper, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, headlined their story “NATO’s stab in the back of those fighting Daesh [Islamic State].”