Ibrahim Raisi's Planned Trip to Turkey Did Not Occur

The Turkish presidency announced without providing a reason to Agence France-Presse that Ibrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, will not travel to Ankara today. This trip was announced earlier this month by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Turkey, who stated that 'the two leaders would focus on creating a joint response to the Israel-Hamas war.' Erdoğan had told reporters during his flight from the regional summit on November 11 in Riyadh: 'Ibrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, is coming to Turkey on the 28th of this month.' This news was also reported by Turkey's official state media and was heavily discussed on Turkish television until Monday. According to the Turkish presidency, Erdoğan also spoke with Raisi by phone on Sunday. According to Agence France-Presse, it is still unclear whether this meeting has been canceled or postponed. The ISNA news agency reported this morning on Raisi's trip to Turkey, but shortly after, official Iranian news agencies, including Tasnim, announced that this trip has been 'postponed to another date.' As of the time of this report, no reason for the 'cancellation' or 'postponement' of this previously announced trip has been published. Erdoğan's trip to Germany comes amid severe tensions following the Turkish President's praise for Hamas, reiterating Turkey's positions in the Israel-Hamas war during his visit to Germany. Raisi's gifts from Africa: Iran's exports to Africa have halved.