Turkey plans to ‘reinforce border security’ if US attacks Iran, official tells AFP news agency

ISTANBUL - Turkey is weighing contingency plans along its border if the United States attacks neighbouring Iran, a senior official told AFP on Jan 29.

“If the United States attacks Iran and the regime falls, Turkey is planning additional measures to reinforce border security,” said the official, who requested anonymity.

Washington has not ruled out a new military intervention

against Tehran over its harsh response in January to protests, which according to rights groups has left thousands dead.

A US naval force led by an aircraft carrier took up position in Middle Eastern waters, US Central Command said on Jan 26, without revealing its precise location.

NATO member Turkey, which shares a 530km border with Iran, has often expressed opposition to military operations targeting the Islamic Republic.

Part of their joint frontier is secured by a wall stretching 380km but “it has proven insufficient”, the official told AFP.

At this stage, Turkish officials are avoiding the use of the term “buffer zone.”

Among the plans are “to increase the deployment of technological border security systems and boost troop numbers”, the official said. AFP