Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday that Ankara remains “completely opposed to any plan that aims to provoke civil war in Iran and fuel conflicts along ethnic or religious fault lines.”

Minister Fidan made the remarks during a joint press conference following his meeting with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in the capital Ankara.

His remarks came as US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, launched Feb. 28, have killed about 1,300 people and injured

Tensions gripped the Middle East after Israel and the US launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28 and have so far killed more than 1,300 people, including Ali Khamenei, the country’s former supreme leader, and more than 150 schoolgirls. More than 10,000 people were also injured in the Israeli and US attacks.

Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and several Gulf countries hosting US military assets.

Türkiye’s National Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Greece’s actions regarding the status of certain islands violate existing treaties and undermine bilateral neighborly relations.

The ministry in a statement said Greece’s initiatives concerning the islands’ status contradict agreements that were properly concluded under international law.

“Greece’s actions violating islands’ status under existing treaties are unlawful and harm bilateral neighborly relations” the statement said. “Türkiye rejects Greece’s self-serving moves and exploitation of regional crises and has taken necessary measures.”

An agreement between Turkish state lender Halkbank and the US Justice Department to defer prosecution took effect Wednesday.

“The Deferred Prosecution Agreement signed between the U.S. Department of Justice U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and our Bank in order to conclude the criminal charges brought against our Bank in the U.S. by means of settlement was discussed by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York today and has gone into effect,” the bank said through Türkiye’s Public Disclosure Platform (KAP).

“The agreement is binding on both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bank,” it said.

US District Judge Richard Berman asked a Justice Department lawyer to explain the agreement and raised concerns that Halkbank would pay nothing under the deal, Bloomberg reported.

Assistant US Attorney Michael Lockard responded that the court had no authority to review the terms, arguing the deal reflects “significant national security and foreign policy interests” within the authority of US President Donald Trump and the executive branch.

The bank and the American agency agreed previously, according to court records unsealed Monday.

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton wrote to US District Court Judge Richard Berman that the Justice Department “believes the resolution of these charges against Halkbank on the terms and conditions set forth in the Agreement is in the best interests of the United States.”

“This agreement by Halkbank furthers the United States’ compelling interests in combatting terrorist financing and financial support for the government of Iran,” wrote Clayton.

In another statement Monday, Halkbank said under the settlement with the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Halkbank will not admit criminal wrongdoing and will not pay judicial or administrative fines.

The US Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Halkbank in October to review a lower court’s ruling that the public lender was not immune to prosecution under common law.

Türkiye, Egypt, and six other Muslim-majority countries on Wednesday condemned Israel’s ongoing restrictions on Muslim worshippers’ access to Al-Aqsa during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, urging immediate reversal.

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar issued a joint statement on the ongoing violations of Israel in Jerusalem.

“Security restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and its places of worship coupled with discriminatory and arbitrary access restrictions to the other places of worship in the old city constitute a flagrant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, the historical and legal status quo, and the principle of unrestricted access to places of worship,” the statement said.

It urged the global community to take a firm stance to compel Israel to halt violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.

“The Ministers affirmed their absolute rejection and condemnation of this illegal and unjustified measure, as well as Israel’s continued provocative actions at Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Al-Sharif and against worshippers. They stressed that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Jerusalem or its Islamic and Christian holy sites,” the statement further read.

Noting that the entire 144-dunam Al-Aqsa compound is an exclusively Muslim place of worship, the statement affirmed that Jordan’s Waqf authority has sole jurisdiction over its administration and entry.

“The Ministers called on Israel, as the occupying Power, to immediately cease the closure of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque, remove access restrictions to the Old City of Jerusalem, and refrain from obstructing Muslim worshippers’ access to the mosque,” it stated.