Israeli drone incursion into Iran was ‘blatant provocation’: Turkish MP

Turkish MP Osman Faruk Logoglu has said Israel violated “international law” by sending a spy drone over Iran’s air space, calling it a “blatant provocation”.
 
“If Israel did spy against Iran, then Israel is not only in violation of international law, but is also responsible for an act of blatant provocation,” Logoglu told the Tehran Times.  
 
On August 24 the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps announced it had brought down the Israeli stealth drone above the Natanz uranium enrichment site. The footage of the downed aircraft was released to the media. 
 
The unmanned aircraft was “of the stealth, radar-evasive type and it intended to penetrate the off-limits nuclear area in Natanz,” the IRGC said. 
 
Logoglu, who was Turkey’s ambassador to the U.S. from 2001 to 2005, believes at a time that Iran and the six major powers (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany known as the 5+1 group) are engaged in intensive diplomatic efforts to draw up a plan for a final nuclear deal the drone invasion “can only be interpreted as an effort to disrupt the negotiations.”
 
The Turkish lawmaker also said Israel tried to “divert attention” from its 50-day long attacks against Gaza by flying spy drone over Iran.
 
“At a time when Iran and the 5+1 group are engaged in result-oriented negotiations on the nuclear issue and when all attention is focused on Israel because of its brutal aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, Israel's act can only be interpreted as an effort to disrupt the negotiations and to divert attention toward Iran,” he explained.
 
However, he said, “This effort is destined to fail.”  
 
The former diplomat also said the drone invasion is “unlikely” to affect the ongoing talks between Iran and the 5+1 group. 
 
Logoglu, the vice chairman of the Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi- CHP), also said Israel “acted alone” by sending spy aircraft over Iran. 
 
“Israel was widely condemned after its recent attacks against Palestinians, even in the United States support for Israel is being questioned these days.  Consequently, in the drone case Israel must have acted alone. The G5+1-Iran negotiations are unlikely to be affected by the drone event. The talks must go on," the veteran politician opined.