Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler held a phone call on Tuesday with Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, according to an official statement.

“During the call, the parties exchanged views on bilateral and regional defense and security issues,” the Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The phone call came amid regional tensions due to joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The tensions escalated since Israel and the US launched joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, which have so far killed around 1,300 people, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

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

Iran also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz around March 1. The strategic waterway normally handles about 20 million barrels of oil shipments daily and roughly 20% of the global liquefied natural gas trade.

Türkiye’s industrial production index increased 1.1% on an annual basis in January, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) reported on Tuesday.

In the subsectors of the industry, the mining and quarrying index rose 4.9% and the manufacturing index increased 1.2% year-on-year.

The electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply and distribution index decreased 2.9% in January compared to the same month of 2025.

On a monthly basis, the seasonally and calendar-adjusted industrial production index remained unchanged in January compared to December 2025.

Italy stands in solidarity with Türkiye and expresses closeness and friendship to the Turkish people, the Italian foreign minister said Monday following the firing of a ballistic missile from Iran into Turkish airspace.

Speaking to reporters in Rome, Antonio Tajani said: “What we are witnessing is a situation in which international law has been completely set aside, and we are working to find a path that will lead to a diplomatic solution.”

Tajani said they continue to maintain diplomatic relations with Iran and are working to reduce tensions.

On the missile that entered Turkish airspace earlier Monday before being neutralized, he said “we must always exercise the utmost caution.”

“We stand in solidarity with Türkiye and express our closeness and friendship with the Turkish people,” he added.

Decisions at this stage must be taken with great care, he said, underlining that, for the time being, he does not believe it is necessary to invoke NATO Article 5 on collective defense.

The Turkish National Defense Ministry said Monday that a ballistic missile fired from Iran that entered Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The ministry said some debris from the missile fell onto vacant land in the country’s southeastern Gaziantep province, adding that there were no casualties or injuries.

The development came amid the ongoing US-Israeli attacks on Iran, launched on Feb. 28, which have so far killed more than 1,200 people, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a phone call Monday with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian to discuss recent regional developments, including the interception of another missile heading to Türkiye.

Erdoğan told Pezeshkian that the violation of Türkiye’s airspace “cannot be excused for any reason whatsoever” and that “Türkiye will continue to take all necessary measures against this,” Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said in a statement.

The call, which was held at the request of Pezeshkian, came after the Turkish National Defense Ministry said Monday that a ballistic missile fired from Iran that entered Turkish airspace was neutralized by NATO air and missile defense assets deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Last Wednesday, the ministry said a ballistic munition fired from Iran toward Turkish airspace after crossing Syria and Iraq was intercepted and neutralized by NATO air and missile defense units in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Türkiye is “negatively affected” by conflicts in which it is not a party, Erdoğan also told his Iranian counterpart.

Ankara does not approve of the “unlawful interventions” against Iran and Iran’s targeting of countries in the region, Erdoğan stressed, adding that targeting brotherly countries “is not in anyone’s interest” and “these actions must end.”

Erdoğan stressed the need to reopen the door to diplomacy and said that Türkiye has been working actively to help facilitate diplomatic engagement in the region.

During the call, he also expressed “deep sorrow” over a deadly Feb. 28 strike on a girls’ school in Iran’s southern city of Minab.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US is “investigating” the attack, while Israel has denied involvement.

US-Israeli strikes against Iran began on Feb. 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top security officials.

Erdoğan also reiterated his condolences for the passing of Khamenei and expressed hope that the selection of his son Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader would contribute to peace and stability in the region.

For his part, Pezeshkian said the missiles that entered Turkish airspace were not of Iranian origin and that Iranian authorities would conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident.