Iran's armed forces deny firing missile towards Turkey

DUBAI - Iran's Armed Forces respect the sovereignty of Turkey and deny firing  any missile towards its territory, it said in a statement carried  by state media on Thursday.

The Iranian General Staff described the accusations as unfounded.

"The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran respect the sovereignty of the Republic of Turkey and deny firing any missile toward its territory,"  it said.

This comes as the first direct public response from Tehran to the reports, highlighting Tehran's effort to de-escalate tensions with Ankara while maintaining a defiant posture against the broader US-led coalition.

The denial follows an announcement from Turkey's Ministry of National Defence on Wednesday, which claimed that a ballistic missile originating from Iran had been fired toward Turkish airspace after traversing Syrian and Iraqi territories. 

According to Turkish officials, the projectile was successfully intercepted and destroyed over the eastern Mediterranean by NATO's integrated air and missile defense systems. No casualties or damage were reported on Turkish soil, but the incident marked the first time a NATO member state has been directly drawn into the expanding conflict with Iran.

Footage and reports from the scene, including videos shared on social media and verified by outlets like Reuters, showed explosions and debris in the skies, with NATO confirming its role in the interception. 

A senior NATO official told Fox News Digital that the alliance condemned Iran's actions and reaffirmed its commitment to defending allies, stating: "Our deterrence and defense posture remains strong across all domains." Turkey, as a key NATO ally, hosts significant alliance assets and has activated its air defenses amid the regional turmoil.

Iranian state media, including RIA Novosti, echoed the military's denial, framing the Turkish claims as part of a broader propaganda effort by adversaries to justify further aggression against Iran. Tehran has not elaborated on alternative explanations for the intercepted missile but has suggested it could be a misidentification or a false flag operation.