UPDATE - Turkish foreign minister, US secretary of state discuss latest situation in Middle East

ADDS STATEMENT FROM US STATE DEPARTMENT

By Muhammet Tarhan, Esra Tekin and Seyit Kurt

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the latest situation in the Middle East on Wednesday as well as an Iranian ballistic missile that was directed toward Turkish airspace but neutralized.

Fidan and Rubio spoke by phone, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

A ballistic munition fired from Iran and directed toward Turkish airspace was intercepted and neutralized by NATO air and missile defense units in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said earlier.

The ministry said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal that the projectile, detected after passing through Iraq and Syria, was successfully engaged by air defenses.

The US State Department released a statement confirming that Rubio and Fidan also discussed recent developments in Iran and across the Middle East during their phone call.

Rubio told Fidan that attacks on Türkiye’s sovereign territory were “unacceptable” and pledged full support from the United States.

They also reiterated the continued strength of the bilateral relationship, the statement added.

Since Saturday, joint US-Israeli strikes have killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has responded with drone and missile attacks targeting US-linked sites in Gulf countries.