A high-ranking commander of the Iranian armed forces has denied performing a joint military operation with Turkey against Kurdish militia.

On Monday, the Turkish minister of state announced that this operation had taken place near the eastern borders of Turkey against the PKK. Turkey considers PKK to be a terrorist group.

The Turkish minister of state said: “Iranian and Turkish delegations met in each other’s capitals and deliberated on performing a joint operation.”

It seems he is referring to 2017 when the chairman of joint army forces visited Turkey and his counterpart visited Iran two months later.

According to Anatolia News Agency, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey has confirmed the operation, saying: “Iranians are unhappy about the existence of PJAK and we are unhappy about PKK.” He also said that such cooperation will continue in the future.

However, according to Tasnim News Agency, a high-ranking commander of armed forces has said: “Iran had no role in the Turkish army’s operation against PKK.”

This claim conflict with the comments that the deputy of security at Iran’s ministry of state made yesterday. In his press conference yesterday, Hossein Zolfaghari said: “We have taken unprecedented joint steps with Turkey in controlling the borders and we are planning on a joint operation together.”

 The Turkish authorities have not published the results of their military operation yet.