Twice in recent months, the Iranian regime mouthpiece Kayhan, which is close to ideological circles, published articles warning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan not to interfere in the war in Yemen in support of Saudi Arabia. In a March 17, 2021 article, Kayhan wrote, referring to missiles fired by the pro-Iran Shi'ite Houthi rebels in Yemen into Saudi Arabia, that if Turkey did so, "there is not a shadow of a doubt that the catastrophe caused by the long-range missiles of Ansar Allah [i.e. the Houthis] will happen to Turkey as well." It added that Erdoğan must "take into account [that there will be] a clash" with Iran's "powerful resistance axis."
An article published the following month, on April 22, 2021, by the newspaper again warned Erdoğan against entering into the war alongside Saudi Arabia. While Turkey's need for Saudi petrodollars and Erdoğan's imperialistic aspirations indicate that there is a good chance of Turkish interference in Yemen, it stated, the Houthis have missiles that can reach Turkey. It added that they even have drones that threaten the American air supremacy, attributing this claim to Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command. The article assessed that the Saudis would also use Turkey as a bargaining chip to raise its stakes in the political negotiations with Iran, which are currently underway in Iraq.
Erdoğan and Khamenei in Tehran, September 7, 2018. Source: Farsi.khamenei.ir/photo-album?id=40431.
The following are the main points of the articles published by Kayhan. This report is fourth in a series on anti-Turkey statements in Iran.[1]
"If Turkey Joins The War In Yemen, There Is Not A Shadow Of A Doubt That The Catastrophe Caused By The Long-Range Missiles Of Ansar Allah Will Happen To Turkey As Well" – Kayhan, March 17, 2021
"It was in 2015, according to the American strategists, that 'Saudi Arabia' launched its Yemen war plan, with the approval of the Obama administration, aimed at finishing off Ansar Allah [that threatened Saudi Arabia] within two or three months. In order to attain this 'goal,' all restrictions usually in force in wars were lifted, so that America and its allies could gain control in strategically situated Yemen as quickly as possible. In effect, the source of the cruel attacks on the Yemeni cities, the news of which shook all those who heard of them, lay in this 'goal.' These crimes became so numerous and diverse that the UN was compelled to call them 'the crime of the century'...
"The biggest weapons exporter during the years (2016-2020) was America, and Saudi Arabia was the biggest importer of weapons. This meant that from the beginning of the [Saudi] invasion of Yemen until the past two years, these weapons were sold [to] and purchased [by Saudi Arabia], and these crimes [in Yemen] were carried out with American weapons.
"That's not all. There are accurate reports that Zionist regime soldiers are also in Yemen, along with American military advisors, and, together with the Emirates, they scheme against it [Yemen]... In order to subdue the Yemeni people, they [i.e. the Saudis and their allies] have not settled for bombing weddings, mourning ceremonies, mosques, prayer rooms, hospitals, clinics, homes, factories, and so on... they have also not refrained from using prohibited weapons.
"In order to achieve its evil and immediate goal, this front has also spread viruses and dangerous diseases in this country, from AIDS to cholera and diphtheria. According to Yemeni sources, in addition to the abovementioned, this front has also extensively spread drugs, alcohol, and so on in Yemen, in order to add to its name the great crimes of the century.
"But the Yemeni [Islamic] revolutionaries [i.e. the Houthis] have overcome all these conditions, using basic weapons, for a range of reasons (which we will mention below), including skills of war, faith, and the military incompetence of the Saudi coalition... They have gradually turned the page of this war [in their favor] by obtaining important and precise weapons such as precision ballistic missiles and modern offensive UAVs, to the point where today there are no reports of bombing of the Yemenite people like there were three or four years ago. [Today,] the reports in Yemen lead with rocket attacks on sensitive Saudi centers...
"The precision missile attacks in the Saudi heartland and the destruction of its sensitive military and economic centers are being carried out almost every day, with ease, such that they have made Saudi Arabia and its merciless allies helpless, in the full sense of the term.
"Another interesting point is that some of these attacks are carried out with prior warning... The Yemeni revolutionaries announced that they would be attacking the sensitive military and economic centers in Saudi Arabia if the land, sea, and air siege on their country was not lifted. They [the Houthis] have already released the names of all the centers that they plan to strike, in a 'target bank' list...
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"The hundreds of billions of dollars spent by Saudi Arabia on modern American, British, and French weapons have gone down the drain, because, in principle, the special mission of many of these weapons, such as the Patriot, is to prevent missiles and drones from landing on Saudi oil and military facilities. We will announce here the important news... that the Saudis and their supporters are repeatedly begging Iran and the Yemeni revolutionaries to stop these attacks...
"The Saudi coalition comprises mercenaries collected from poor Arab, Asian, and African countries – [making it] an unmotivated mercenary army that fights only for money. Such an army can never fight with its entire heart and soul. In contrast, the Yemeni revolutionaries are fighting with faith, and for the most part they are desert fighters who know how to fight in the worst possible conditions and in the worst possible state...
"The last lines of this article are addressed to a friendly neighboring country – Turkey. According to unofficial reports, the Saudis may have turned to Erdoğan, tempting him with dollars, after the harsh blows they took in Yemen. If this report is true, it attests to Saudi weakness and extreme despair, because everyone knows that Saudi Arabia and Turkey have worked together for years, and [at the same time] were bitter rivals. In the cruel story of the murder of [Saudi journalist] Jamal Khashoggi, it was Turkey that seriously investigated this crime and did everything it could to pressure the Saudis.
"If Turkey joins the war in Yemen, there is not a shadow of a doubt that the catastrophe caused by the long-range missiles of Ansar Allah will happen to Turkey as well. At the same time, this possible cooperation will muddy the relationship between Saudi Crown Prince [Mohammed] bin Salman and UAE leader [Crown Prince Mohammed] bin Zayed. [Turkey's] joining the war [to fight alongside the Saudis] will also set Qatar against Erdoğan. Erdoğan will, apparently, understand, with a quick, simple glance, that the damage Turkey will suffer by entering the Yemen war will be greater than the dollars he will receive from bin Salman. Therefore, we expect that this country [Turkey] will not really and seriously join the war in Yemen – but if it does, it must take into account [that there will be] conflict with the powerful resistance axis!"[2]
"The Yemeni Revolutionaries Today Have Missiles That Can Definitely Reach Turkey, And They Are Building Drones That Frighten The U.S. Forces In The Middle East" – Kayhan, April 22, 2021
"Syria, Iraq, Libya, Cyprus, Greece, Armenia, and now Yemen – these are the countries in which Turkey carried out very open adventurism. In some, it was involved in military issues; in others, it became entangled in fierce political disputes that sometimes smelled of 'oil,' 'money,' and 'territorial expansion.'
"Yesterday [April 21, 2021], after several months of contradictory reports about the possibility of a Turkish military presence in Yemen, a new news item was published that, if true, attests to Turkey's 'official' entrance into the war in Yemen. According to this report, Turkey has adopted a Yemen policy like its Syria policy, and officially entered Marib [province in Yemen] in the form of hired terrorists, a number of military advisors, and UAVs. What are Erdoğan's adventurous goals, and how will this affect this country's [Turkey's] involvement in the Yemen war? And what are [the ramifications] for Turkey? Read [the following]:
"For some time, the Yemen revolutionaries have held the upper hand in the Yemen war. After suffering for five years under unceasing attacks by the Saudis and the 10 allies of their regime, in the framework of the Arab coalition, they [the Houthis] managed to shift the path of this war [in their favor], such that now, for over a year, they are attacking Saudi sensitive and military centers, easily and accurately.
"The Arab coalition, whose members have fallen from 11 to two, in addition to the mercenaries from one or two poor African countries, has spared no effort to defeat the [Houthi] revolutionaries, attacking Yemeni infrastructure and using all legal and illegal means of waging war. They have done their best to defeat the revolutionaries, with biological weapons, cluster weapons , and even deadly pathogens.
"Meanwhile, the UN, America, the Zionist regime, and several European countries, assisted by the Saudi coalition in various ways, could not stop the victories of this country [Yemen]. Now, on the eve of the liberation of the important city of Marib, it is reported that Turkey has come to the aid of [Saudi Crown Prince] bin Salman in order to prevent its liberation.
"What this means is that Mr. Erdoğan thinks that what America, the Zionist regime, Britain, France, and the 11 member countries of the Arab coalition have not managed to achieve while helping each other, he will be able to [achieve] on his own.
"'Money diplomacy' is the method often used by the Saudi regime to achieve its goals, large and small. Leaving the Yemeni quagmire is perhaps bin Salman's biggest goal in our time. Saudi Arabia, that has lost Trump's precious previous support and is also perturbed by Biden's lack of will, has now turned to Turkey with [its] petrodollars. Furthermore, Turkey's economy is not in good shape, for several reasons, including the coronavirus, and it desperately needs these dollars.
"In addition to money, the spirit of Erdoğan's inclination to an Ottoman regime can also be influencing his entrance into the Yemeni quagmire. Erdoğan has long since made ready his imaginary imperial palace. All you need to do [to prove this] is to search online for 'Erdoğan's 1,000-room palace' and to look at the photos [brought up by the search].
"Bin Salman's motive in dragging Turkey into the Yemen war is 'clear.' He cannot tolerate the defeat in Marib. Marib, for bin Salman, whose coalition has collapsed, who commands forces that have lost large swaths of territory, and whose palace is not safe from the missiles of the [Islamic] resistance [led by Iran], is a life or death [matter]. In one way or another, the fighting in Marib determines the fate of the Yemen war.
"Obtaining Turkish help is also an admission of defeat. It is the defeat of Saudi Arabia, America, the Zionist regime, and some European countries. Perhaps Saudi Arabia is looking for a trump card in the negotiations that it is said to be holding with Iranian officials in Iraq. We are aware of any such talks in Baghdad, but if they are taking place, the Saudis might be looking to use Turkey in them as a 'pressure bargaining pawn.' Therefore, Turkey must be aware that it has become a Saudi pawn.
"But what is motivating Erdoğan [to enter the Yemen war]? 'What is Erdoğan's real aim in this whole adventure?' We don't really know. Perhaps the answer is what we said above. Erdoğan is inhaling the dream of the revival of the Ottoman Empire. The victory over the not-so-powerful Armenian army [recently in Azerbaijan] might have honed his delusion. Or he might be seeking Saudi money.
"What the aim is does not matter. Apparently, it was so important and valuable for him personally that he agreed to join the Saudis and confront [the Houthi] revolutionaries in order to achieve it. It must not be forgotten that Saudi Arabia and Turkey were rivals and enemies in many regions until two or three months ago. All in all, it seems that this time Erdoğan has missed the target, because Yemen is not Armenia, nor Libya, nor even Greece or Cyprus.
"For six years, the Yemeni revolutionaries have lived in unimaginably harsh human conditions. A state the size of Turkey's entering the war has little impact on their situation. They have nothing at all to lose. In the worst case, Turkey's entrance into the war will set back the liberation of Marib by a few days.
"But what does Turkey have to lose? There is no need to go far [to figure this out]. The Yemeni revolutionaries today have missiles that can definitely reach Turkey, and they are building drones that frighten the U.S. forces in the Middle East: [According to] Gen. Frank McKenzie [sic], commander of the terrorist U.S. forces in the Middle East, 'the Houthis carried out over 150 missile attacks on Saudi interests in the first four months of 2021. This is the first time since the Korean War that we have no air supremacy in the operational arena.'
"There is no doubt that if the news of Turkey's entrance into the Yemen war is accurate, this country [Turkey], like the many others involved in this war, will not be immune to the ramifications. Time, and the reactions of the Yemeni revolutionaries, will tell more surely than any commentator whether Turkey has entered the war in Yemen, just as they will tell what the consequences of Erdoğan's entrance into the war in Yemen will be for Turkey... "[3]
[1] See MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 1546, Anti-Turkey Statements In Iran – Part III: Erdoğan Is Undermining Iran's Territorial Integrity, January 11, 2021; MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 9078, Anti-Turkish Statements In Iran – Part II: Iranian Daily On 'Sultan Recep [Tayyip Erdogan],' Who 'Fantasizes That He Is The Equal Of The Ottoman Sultans And Can Tell The World What To Do', December 9, 2020; and MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 9065, Anti-Turkish Statements In Iran – Part I: Iranian Daily: Erdogan Is Pursuing A Policy Of Religious, Ideological War, Hiding His Hostile Regional Policy Behind An Islamic Mask, December 2, 2020.
[2] Kayhan.ir/fa/news/213426, March 17, 2021.
[3] Kayhan.ir/fa/news/215310, April 22, 2021.
