Rouhani in Call with Erdogan: Some Powers are Trying to Destabilize Islamic Countries

The President of Iran, in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, referred to the failed coup in Turkey as a "test to identify friends and enemies, both domestic and foreign" and accused "some great powers" of attempting to "destabilize" Islamic countries without naming them. According to a report released by the Iranian presidency, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also spoke in this phone call about Turkey's decision to "cooperate" with Iran and Russia to "resolve" regional issues. On Monday, July 18, Hassan Rouhani told Erdogan that the Turkish people showed "high political maturity" during the coup and proved that coercive methods have no place in the region. Rouhani emphasized that the Islamic Republic's officials were not "indifferent" from the "first moments" of the coup and were closely monitoring developments in Turkey with "sensitivity," adding that "hearing your message to the people to take to the streets in the early hours after the coup was reassuring for us." On Sunday, he also stated regarding the failed coup in Turkey that the ballot box is the only solution to the problems for Iran, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, and Yemen, and that "the era of coups, guns, or tanks is over." Hours after reports of the coup in Turkey were released, Iranian officials opposed this action, and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had three phone calls with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu by Saturday noon. Zarif also spoke about the coup in a closed session of the parliament on Sunday morning. After this session, Gholamali Jafarzadeh Eymani, a representative from Rasht, quoted Zarif as saying that he, along with Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, were monitoring developments in Turkey. Additionally, according to Akbar Ranjbarzadeh, a member of the parliament's presiding board, Zarif mentioned in this session that "some countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar would not mind if the coup in Turkey gained strength, which is worth considering." "Efforts by Powers to Destabilize Islamic Countries" Some Turkish officials, naming Fethullah Gülen, the religious leader opposed to Erdogan residing in the U.S., as the spiritual leader of the coup, have accused the U.S. of being involved in this coup, but John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, called these accusations "irresponsible" and "harmful" to the relations between the two countries. Hassan Rouhani also told the Turkish president that "some great powers and also terrorists do not want Islamic countries to be stable." He added, "This incident was a test to identify your internal and external friends and enemies." According to the Iranian presidency's report, Recep Tayyip Erdogan also told Rouhani that "we are determined to work hand in hand with Iran and Russia to resolve regional issues and to increase our efforts to restore peace and stability to the region." The Turkish president also announced that "the situation has returned to normal now, but we cannot think that everything is over." The support of Iranian officials for the Turkish government comes at a time when the two countries have had significant disagreements in regional policies in recent years, with Iran supporting Bashar al-Assad's regime while Turkey has repeatedly called for his resignation. Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Velayati, international advisor to the Iranian leader, emphasized the Islamic Republic's opposition to the coup in Turkey and expressed hope that the Turkish government would also "respect the opinions of the Syrian people and the votes of the Syrian people and leave the determination of governance in Syria to the people of that country." A group of Turkish army forces attempted to seize power on the evening of Friday, July 15, but this coup failed. However, the wave of arrests and purges following the recent coup has raised concerns, and among others, John Kerry and various European officials have warned Turkey that this event should not be an excuse for suppressing opponents. In this context, Rouhani stated: "The era of coups is over." Iran condemned "any kind of coup in this country" while supporting the Turkish government. Reactions in Iran to the announcement of the coup in Turkey included statements that "we are closely monitoring developments." The Ministry of Interior stated that no individual or official has entered Iran from Turkey following the events.