TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s top leader says Tehran strongly supports reforms in Syria under President Bashar Assad, but the visiting Turkish prime minister says Assad can’t be trusted and must go.
The sharp differences emerged on the second day of a state visit by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as leaders of the two countries discussed how to deal with the crisis in Syria.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Erdogan that Tehran is opposed to intervention of foreign forces in Syria. Later Thursday, Erdogan told Iran’s state TV that Assad must step down.
Turkey has built close economic ties with Iran and prefers diplomatic means rather than sanctions in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.
Even so, Turkey has agreed to host a NATO defense shield radar that would send a warning if Iran fires missiles.
Source: Associated Press
