Saturday's suicide bomb attacks in Ankara point to the gravity of the situation in the crisis-hit region, the Majlis speaker said, adding that it should be a wake-up call for Turkey to adapt its regional policy to the realities on the ground regarding terrorist activities.
The twin blasts struck a rally of hundreds of pro-Kurdish activists and labor activists outside the Turkish capital's main train station, leaving about 100 people dead and over 240 wounded, in the worst attack of its kind on Turkish soil.
"Despicable terrorist acts in Turkey that claimed the lives of dozens of Muslims, indicate the [huge scale] of the crisis raging in the region," Ali Larijani said. "I hope Turkish [officials] will wake up to the realties behind terrorist [activities] in the region."
He backed Russia's recent move to launch airstrikes in Syria against insurgents, disputing criticisms by the US and its allies.
"The weak performance of the US-led coalition in Syria has achieved nothing but emboldening terrorists," Larijani was quoted by IRNA as saying on Sunday. The United States and its allies have been waging a year-long air campaign against the so-called Islamic State militant group in Syria. Referring to the successful results of the negotiations leading to the July nuclear deal with major powers, the senior lawmaker said the same approach can prove effective in addressing regional conflicts.
"Negotiations with other influential countries can pave the way for the resolution of regional problems," he said, citing Tehran's talks with Moscow which led to its decision to directly intervene to help settle the Syria crisis. President Hassan Rouhani sent a message to Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu extending condolences to the Turkish government and people over the deadly bombings.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran, as one of the major victims of terrorism, condemns such brutal acts as it always has, and believes such criminal and terrorist attempts will end in failure," he added.
