Turkey, Iran in spat on eve of Syria talks

Relations between Turkey and Iran have become strained following an exchange of words between the two neighbors, just days before a new round of Syria peace talks are expected to start in Geneva. 

Turkey's Foreign Ministry denounced a statement from an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, who called on Turkey to not "test Iran's patience."

"It is neither acceptable nor comprehensible for a country, which does not even hesitate to push to the battlefield refugees seeking shelter from crises, accuses others of being responsible for regional tensions and instability," Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hüseyin Müftüoğlu said in a written statement on Feb. 20.

"Iran should take constructive steps and review its regional policies instead of putting the blame on countries which criticize it," he stated, adding that Iran has attracted complaints on international platforms. 

His remarks came after Bahram Qassemi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Turkey "should not test Iran's patience."

"Those who have immature dreams about rebuilding an empire and have taken meddlesome, illegal and illegitimate measures and supported terrorist groups cannot shirk their responsibility for such moves through a blame game," Qassemi said in a statement late Feb. 19, as quoted by Iran's Tasnim News Agency. 

"They should be aware that insecurity and instability in the region has no perpetrator other than them and some other paranoid states," he added. 

Qassemi referred to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu's speech at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, where he called on Iran to stop conducting a sectarian policy for the sake of maintaining regional stability and security. 

"Iran wants to turn Syria...