Turkey plans buffer zone inside Iran if regime falls – report

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry told the country’s parliament that it was preparing to create a buffer zone over the Iranian border if the regime in Tehran falls, according to the Turkiye daily.

Ankara fears a wave of refugees heading toward Iran, and diplomats briefed lawmakers that “we are making preparations for all eventualities, with our A, B, and C plans. We believe there should be a buffer zone to ensure that those who arrive in the event of a migration remain on the Iranian side.”

Turkey currently maintains a buffer zone in northern Syria.

“After the Syrian civil war, Turkey was forced to open its doors to millions of refugees, and integrating them into both society and the economy proved to be a very painful process,” says Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak of the Moshe Dayan Center. “Erdoğan was accused for years of failing to stop the waves of migration. It now appears that, in light of the lessons learned from Syria, border security will be kept tight this time.”