Iran’s foreign minister cancelling his last week’s Turkey visit has brought escalating tensions between Ankara and Tehran under the spotlight. These two neighbors are supporting opposite sides in the war in Syria and are also accusing the other side of increasing sectarian tension amongst Sunnis and Shiites.
Bilateral tensions between Iran and Turkey are increasingly being fought by the two countries’ pro-government media outlets. Iranian reports targeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his daughter, Sumeyye, recently proved too much for Ankara, resulting in the abrupt cancellation of Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif’s planned visit to Turkey.
“It’s serious. I think the reporting in Iranian media, particularly the state-controlled media, about Erdogan and his family, did upset the presidency,” said international relations expert Soli Ozel of Istanbul’s Kadir Has University. “There is no doubt in Iraqi Kurdistan and in Syria they are at loggerheads, so maybe because of the presidency [criticism] this is now being made much more public than was the case before.”

VOA, Istanbul, 19 August 2015