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Erdogan Warns Macron ‘Not to Mess with Turkey’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Getty Images)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Getty Images)
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Erdogan Warns Macron ‘Not to Mess with Turkey’

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Getty Images)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Getty Images)

Turkey’s president has taken aim at France’s leader, following French criticism about Turkish maritime activities in the eastern Mediterranean that have ignited tensions with Greece and the European Union.

In a speech Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron was targeting him.

“You will have many more problems with me,” Erdogan said, adding, “don’t mess with the Turkish nation and Turkey.”

On Friday, Marcon said that Europe needed to be “clear and firm” with Erdogan’s government over its actions.

France and Turkey, both NATO members, have been at odds over an arms embargo for Libya and over the situation in the eastern Mediterranean, where Paris is supporting Greece and Cyprus, who say Turkey is looking for oil and gas in their waters. Turkey says it has equal rights to the resources in those waters.

Meanwhile, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said during a speech on Friday night at the Infantry Brigade training center that “In order for the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean to decline, it is enough for some people to be silent. They do not need to do anything. Just shut up.”

“Those who enter into conspiracies against Turkey as they have done in the past will suffer the same damage as they did in the past.”

He then advised Greece to remain silent “so as not to become a meze [snack] for the interests of others.”

Akar noted that some countries that are not related to the Eastern Mediterranean have become involved in the region, but this will not help achieve peace and stability in any form, in fact it will escalate tension.

Meanwhile, Erdogan spoke over the phone with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, according to Turkey’s Communications Directorate on Friday. Erdogan and Sanchez discussed regional developments and ways to boost bilateral relations.

Erdogan also discussed the updates in the Eastern Mediterranean with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.

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Iran Threats in UK 'Significantly Increased', Says Intel Watchdog

The parliamentary committee blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap inside the UK since 2022 - AFP
The parliamentary committee blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap inside the UK since 2022 - AFP
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Iran Threats in UK 'Significantly Increased', Says Intel Watchdog

The parliamentary committee blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap inside the UK since 2022 - AFP
The parliamentary committee blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap inside the UK since 2022 - AFP

A UK parliamentary committee on Thursday blamed Iran for at least 15 attempts to kill or kidnap British-based individuals since 2022, saying the threat from Iran had "significantly increased".

London's response has been too focused on "crisis management", said parliament's intelligence and security committee, with concerns over Iran's nuclear program dominating their attention too much.

Tehran swiftly issued a "categorical rejection of the unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations".

The committee's claims were "baseless, irresponsible, and reflective of a broader pattern of distortion intended to malign Iran's legitimate regional and national interests", said its London embassy, AFP reported.

The report comes after growing alarm in Britain at alleged Iranian targeting of dissidents, media organizations and journalists in the UK, including accusations of physical attacks.

Iran in March became the first country to be placed on an enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, which aims to boost Britain's national security against covert foreign influences.

It requires all persons working inside the country for Iran, its intelligence services or the Revolutionary Guard to register on a new list or face jail.

"Iran poses a wide-ranging, persistent and unpredictable threat to the UK, UK nationals, and UK interests," Kevan Jones, chairman of the watchdog committee, said in the report's conclusions.

"Iran has a high appetite for risk when conducting offensive activity and its intelligence services are ferociously well-resourced with significant areas of asymmetric strength."

Jones said it bolstered this through proxy groups, "including criminal networks, militant and terrorist organisations, and private cyber actors" to allow for deniability.

His committee's report said that while Iran's UK activity "appears to be less strategic and on a smaller scale than Russia and China", it "should not be underestimated".

The physical threat posed had "significantly increased" in pace and volume, and was "focused acutely on dissidents and other opponents of the regime" as well as Jewish and Israeli interests in the UK, it said.

"The Iranian Intelligence Services have shown that they are willing and able -- often through third-party agents -- to attempt assassination within the UK, and kidnap from the UK," the report said.

"There have been at least 15 attempts at murder or kidnap against British nationals or UK-based individuals since the beginning of 2022."

Similarly, security minister Dan Jarvis said in March Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence service had tallied 20 Iran-backed plots "presenting potentially lethal threats to British citizens and UK residents".

The watchdog committee took evidence for two years from August 2021 for its report, a period which saw Tehran implicated in a plot to kill two London-based Iran International television anchors.

In March last year one of the Persian-language outlet's journalists was stabbed outside his London home.

Two Romanian men have been charged in relation to the attack and face extradition to the UK to stand trial.

The counter-terrorism unit of London's Metropolitan Police led the investigation. Iran's charge d'affaires in the UK has said that the Tehran authorities "deny any link" to the incident.