“Iran wants to turn Syria and Iraq Shiite,” Çavuşoğlu told delegates at the security conference, adding that Turkey was against sectarianism in the Middle East and had called on Iran to stop threatening the region’s stability.

In addition, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Feb. 14, during a visit to Bahrain that Iran was pursuing “Persian nationalism” in the region.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also warned Iran on Feb. 19 about highlighting sectarian division in Syria, saying this could cause problems in Turkey-Iran relations, while also terming Iran as a historic neighbor of Turkey.