Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States and Israel Friday of meddling in Iran after Turkey’s neighbor was gripped by several days of deadly unrest.
A total of 21 people died and hundreds were arrested in the week-long protests which were the biggest challenge to the Islamic regime since the 2009 mass demonstrations.
“We cannot accept that some countries – foremost the U.S., Israel – to interfere in the internal affairs of Iran and Pakistan,” Erdogan told reporters before heading on a trip to France.
“It is turning the people against each other in these countries. It’s a shame that we have seen this done in many nations … We saw this in Iraq.”
Erdogan did not expand on the nature of the alleged meddling in Pakistan but on Thursday the U.S. announced a freeze in deliveries of military equipment and security funding until Pakistan cracks down on the militants.