Iran's Ambassador to Turkey Denies Summons Reports

The Iranian ambassador in Ankara has denied reports regarding the Turkish Foreign Ministry's summons of him, stating that his recent meeting with Turkish officials was part of the regular meetings that all ambassadors have with local foreign ministry directors. Alireza Bigdeli, the Iranian ambassador, wrote on his Facebook page early Friday, January 8, that he visited the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Thursday to meet with the regional director-general to discuss the outcomes of the recent visit by the head of Turkey's Higher Education Organization and the head of Turkey's Religious Affairs to Iran, as well as other topics such as the role of the media in the relations between Tehran and Ankara and recent regional developments. Previously, Reuters reported that the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador in protest against Iranian media and the claim that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent trip to Saudi Arabia was related to the execution of Nimr al-Nimr. The report, citing the Turkish Foreign Ministry, also stated that the Iranian ambassador was told that the attacks on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad were completely unacceptable and unjustifiable. However, the Iranian ambassador in Turkey claims that his meeting on Thursday with foreign ministry officials took place in a 'friendly atmosphere.' In this context, the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) also quoted an unnamed Iranian foreign ministry official stating that the report of the ambassador's summons was a 'lie' and that the Iranian ambassador met with Turkish foreign ministry officials at his own request. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia escalated sharply following the execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric, but after a group stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad, Riyadh decided to sever its ties with Tehran. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also harshly criticized Iran for failing to prevent the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions, considering the execution of Nimr al-Nimr to be an internal matter for Saudi Arabia. In this context, Iran accused Saudi Arabia of conducting airstrikes against its embassy in Yemen, Somalia severed relations with Iran, Comoros recalled its ambassador, and the Saudi Minister of Defense dismissed the possibility of war with Iran. The number of Iranian diplomats in the UAE has 'decreased.'