Turkey against Military Strike on Iran

Turkey is against any military strike on Iran, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday, warning that speculation risked destabilizing the region.

"We do not think it is right even to talk of possible military intervention in the region.... We are against such intervention and believe it would create more instability," Anatolia news agency quoted Davutoglu as saying in Ankara.

"It is unacceptable that countries suspected of having nuclear weapons cause new tensions in our region," Davutoglu said, referring to Israel.

His comments came amid speculation that Israel could launch a strike on Iran with President Shimon Peres warning last weekend that an attack was becoming "more and more likely".

Tehran responded by threatening to hit back against any attack or even the threat of military action.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), meanwhile, made its hardest-hitting assessment yet about Iran's suspected nuclear weapons drive.

"It is necessary to eliminate nuclear weapons not only in this or that country, but in the whole region," Davtoglu added.

The Turkish foreign minister called on both Iran and the U.N. atomic agency to be "clear and open" in their allegations and responses.