Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stressed that Iran has the right to defend itself in the face of Israel’s ongoing bombing campaign.
The Turkish leader’s remarks come as Israel continues a sweeping military campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.
He accused Israel of waging “crazed” attacks against Iran that amount to “state terrorism.”
Speaking a day after referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “the biggest threat to the security of the region,” Erdogan said, “It is a very natural, legitimate and legal right for Iran to defend itself against Israel’s thuggery and state terrorism.”
“These attacks were organised while the Iranian nuclear negotiations were taking place.
“Israel, which possesses nuclear weapons and does not recognise any international rules … did not wait for the negotiations to end, but carried out a terrorist act without waiting for the result.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Also, Erdogan noted that his country is closely following Israel’s attacks on Iran. He added that all Turkish institutions are on high alert regarding the possible effects of these attacks on Turkey. He added, “We are making preparations for every kind of scenario. Nobody should dare to test us.”
Erdogan announced that his country’s defence industry would become fully independent, producing its own warplanes, tanks, drones and frigates, as Israel and Iran traded strikes for a sixth day. “We will further increase our domestic and national production rate, which we have raised from 20 percent to 80 percent,” Erdogan said at a Justice and Development Party (AKP) parliamentary group meeting.
“We will continue with patience, determination, perseverance, and firm steps until we achieve our goal of full independence in the defence industry.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Addressing Israeli attacks on Iran and rising tensions in the region, Erdogan said Turkish officials were preparing contingency plans for all possible risks. “We will raise our deterrence to such a level that not only will no one attack us, but no one will even dare to think of it,” he said.
He added that Turkey had recently completed a number of national defence projects, including air defence systems, warships, cruise missiles, armed drones, and helicopters.
After a cabinet meeting on Monday, June 16, 2025, Erdogan said that he had ordered the defence industry to increase production of medium and long-range missiles to “increase its level of deterrence” in light of the air war between Israel and Iran.
Key Erdogan ally and nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli warned on Tuesday against Israeli plans in the region, claiming that Israel’s political and strategic objective was to encircle Turkey.
Erdogan Seeks Diplomatic Resolution To Israel-Iran Conflict
Speaking to members of his ruling Justice and Development Party in parliament, Erdogan said that Turkey wants to see the crisis resolved diplomatically and Ankara could play a constructive role.
Since Israel launched its assault on Iran last week, Erdogan has held several phone calls with regional leaders – including the Presidents of Iran, the United States and Russia – advocating diplomacy as the only way to resolve the dispute.
Over the weekend, Erdogan told US President, Donald Trump that negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme were the only peaceful solution to the conflict, and offered Turkey as a facilitator for peace.
According to sources in Ankara, the Turkish Air Force was placed on high alert as the government convened security meetings to assess potential emergency scenarios and spillover risks following the start of the Israeli military campaign.
In a phone call with Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa over the weekend, Erdogan advised Syria to avoid becoming involved in the escalation between Iran and Israel, and to remain vigilant against further risks and possible attacks by terrorist groups.
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