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Turkish-Iranian Diplomatic Row Erupts Over Iraq

Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Fatih Yildiz [Twitter]
Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Fatih Yildiz [Twitter]
    Ankara, Baghdad- Saeed Abdulrazek and Fadhel al-Nashmi
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Turkish-Iranian Diplomatic Row Erupts Over Iraq

Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Fatih Yildiz [Twitter]
Turkish Ambassador to Iraq Fatih Yildiz [Twitter]

A diplomatic row erupted between Turkey and Iran after the Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Iraj Masjedi, had made controversial statements on his country’s opposition to Turkish military intervention in Iraq.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Farazmand on February 28 and informed him of Ankara’s strong rejection of Masjedi’s statements in Baghdad.

The ministry confirmed that what Ankara expects from Iran is for it to support Turkey in its fight against terrorism, not oppose it. It also said both Turkey and Iran agree that the presence of the (Kurdistan Workers' Party) PKK in northern Iraq constitutes a common threat.

Farazmand was also informed that in order for the Iraqi government to be able to combat the PKK effectively, support must be given to efforts invested in curbing the activities of all armed militias tied to the Kurdish group.

The ministry complained about Masjedi failing to acknowledge the threat posed by the PKK in Iraq.

More so, the Turkish ambassador in Tehran was summoned by the Iranian Foreign Ministry following accusations made by Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu on Iran harboring PKK elements.

Turkish Ambassador to Iran Darya Ores was officially notified of Iran's protest to Soylu’s ‘unacceptable’ remarks.

During the meeting, the statements of the Turkish ambassador to Iraq were also considered unjustified and criticized.

“We reject military intervention in Iraq and Turkish forces should not pose a threat or violate Iraqi soil,” Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Masjedi, told Kurdish media outlet Rudaw on Saturday.

“The security of the Iraqi area should be maintained by Iraqi forces and [Kurdistan] Region forces in their area.

“We do not accept at all, be it Turkey or any other country to intervene in Iraq militarily or have a military presence in Iraq.

"Therefore, we believe the Turks must return to their international position and be stationed there, and the security of Iraq be maintained by Iraqis."

The Turkish ambassador to Iraq, Fatih Yildiz, responded using Twitter.

“The ambassador of Iran would be the last person to lecture Turkey about respecting borders of Iraq,” he said.

The statements prompted a response from the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Mohammed Al Halbousi, who urged foreign diplomats to focus on their role as representatives of their countries.

“The duty of the representatives of diplomatic missions in Iraq is to represent their countries and enhance bilateral co-operation,” he said.

“Some of those representatives have to realize this very well, and not to meddle and to respect the sovereignty of Iraq in order not to be treated the same.”

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Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
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Lebanon’s PM Visits Syrian President to Discuss Border Demarcation and Security

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, Syria April 14, 2025. (Dalati & Nohra/Handout via Reuters)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam led a high-level ministerial delegation to Syria on Monday for talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the most significant diplomatic visit between the two countries since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December.

"My visit to Damascus today aims to open a new page in the history of relations between the two countries, based on mutual respect, restoring trust, good neighborliness," Salam said in a statement on X.

At the center of discussions was implementing a March 28 agreement signed in Saudi Arabia by the Syrian and Lebanese defense ministers to demarcate land and sea borders and improve coordination on border security issues, Salam said in the statement.

The Lebanese-Syrian border witnessed deadly clashes earlier this year and years of unrest in the frontier regions, which have been plagued by weapons and illicit drug smuggling through illegal crossings.

During Monday’s meeting, Salam and Sharaa agreed to form a joint ministerial committee to oversee the implementation of the border agreement, close illegal crossings and suppress smuggling activity along the border.

The border area, especially near Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Syria’s Qusayr region, has long been a corridor for illicit trade, arms trafficking, and the movement of fighters — including Hezbollah fighters who backed the Assad government during Syria’s 14-year civil war.

Hezbollah has been significantly weakened in its recent war with Israel and since Assad's ousting, it lost several key smuggling routes it once relied on for weapons transfers.

Lebanon also pressed Syria to provide clarity on the fate of thousands of Lebanese nationals who were forcibly disappeared or imprisoned in Syrian jails in the 1980s and 1990s, during Syria’s nearly 30-year military presence in Lebanon. Human rights groups have long documented the lack of accountability and transparency regarding these cases, with families of the missing holding regular demonstrations in Beirut demanding answers.

Syrian officials for their part raised the issue of Syrian nationals detained in Lebanese prisons, Salam said. Many of the detainees were arrested for illegal entry or alleged involvement in militant activity. Rights advocates in both countries have criticized the lack of due process in many of these cases and the poor conditions inside detention facilities.

Lebanon pledged to hand over people implicated in crimes committed by the Assad government and security forces, many of whom are believed to have fled to Lebanon after the government’s collapse, if found on Lebanese soil, a ministerial source told The Associated Press.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly comment.

In return, Lebanese officials requested the extradition of Syrians wanted in Lebanese courts for high-profile political assassinations, "most notably those involved in the bombing of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques, those convicted of assassinating President Bashir Gemayel, and other crimes for which the Assad regime is accused," Salam said.

For decades, Lebanon witnessed a long series of politically motivated assassinations targeting journalists, politicians and security officials, particularly those opposed to Syrian influence. The 2013 twin bombings of the Al-Taqwa and Al-Salam mosques in Tripoli in northern Lebanon killed more than 40 people and intensified sectarian tensions already heightened by the spillover from the Syrian war.

Syria has never officially acknowledged involvement in any of Lebanon’s political assassinations.

Salam said he also pushed for renewed cooperation on the return of Syrian refugees.

Lebanese government officials estimate the country hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, of whom about 755,000 are officially registered with the UN refugee agency, or UNHCR, making it the country with the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

While Lebanese authorities have long urged the international community to support large-scale repatriation efforts, human rights organizations have cautioned against forced returns, citing ongoing security concerns and a lack of guarantees in Syria.

Since the fall of Assad in December, an estimated 400,000 refugees have returned to Syria from neighboring countries, according to UNHCR, with about half of them coming from Lebanon, but many are hesitant to return because of the dire economic situation and fears of continuing instability in Syria.