Turkey's presidential office on Wednesday denied reports that Ankara is planning to enter Iranian territory to stem a potential wave of refugees in the event of a military confrontation between Iran and the US.
However, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters that Turkey was examining all aspects of steps that could be taken in the event of a negative development, adding that "all scenarios are being reviewed."
The diplomatic source said measures were being considered "to ensure the security of our citizens," but stressed that any step amounting to "a violation of Iran's sovereignty" was "out of the question."
Turkey, a NATO member that shares a border with Iran, has emphasized that it opposes any military action against Tehran and is maintaining contact with both sides in an effort to ease tensions. In January, Turkish mediation alongside Arab pressure led to the renewal of contacts between the US and Iran.
At the same time, as Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, Ankara is updating its emergency plans ahead of a possible US strike, the diplomatic source confirmed to Reuters.
According to Bloomberg, Ankara's primary concern is a potential influx of Afghan and Pakistani nationals living in Iran, who could join the roughly 3 million Syrian refugees already in Turkey, further straining the country's economy.
Among the scenarios under consideration is the establishment of refugee camps along the border. In an extreme case of regime collapse in Iran, the report said, Turkey could even carry out a military incursion into Iranian territory to halt refugees before they reach the frontier, an option the presidential office denied on Wednesday.
In late January, a senior Turkish official told AFP that if the US were to attack Iran and the regime were to collapse, Turkey was planning to take additional measures to reinforce security along the roughly 500-kilometer (310-mile) shared border. According to the official, a significant portion of the frontier has been protected by a concrete wall built starting in 2021, but it has "proven insufficient."
