Sabah Newspaper: Raisi's Trip to Turkey Aims to Prevent 'Complete Isolation of the Islamic Republic'

A prominent and long-established newspaper in Turkey assessed Ibrahim Raisi's trip to the country as an effort by the Islamic Republic of Iran to enhance cooperation with Gulf countries and Turkey in order to 'contain Israel and exit isolation.' The newspaper 'Sabah' emphasized that Raisi's trip had been postponed twice and that the current timing of the visit is to strengthen relations between Tehran and Ankara to prevent the complete isolation of the Islamic Republic in the region. The newspaper pointed out the tensions between Iran and Pakistan, Israeli attacks on positions of Iran-backed militants, and the killing of IRGC commanders in Syria by Israel, questioning whether the repeated mention of the Islamic Republic amidst increasing tensions in the Middle East indicates the growing power of the 'resistance axis' supported by Iran or poses a threat of isolation and placing the Islamic Republic on Washington's radar. Sabah stressed that the Islamic Republic is not in a good position following the October 7 attack, and the likelihood of conflicts alongside 'terrorist explosions' in Kerman, Israeli attacks against Iran's proxy forces and IRGC commanders, tensions with Pakistan, and retaliatory attacks on Iranian soil, as well as the condemnation of the attack on Erbil by the Arab League, indicate the regional isolation of the Islamic Republic. Amid rising tensions in the region, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized their countries' consensus on what they termed 'the fight against terrorism' during a joint press conference in Ankara on Wednesday, January 24.