Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized on Monday the air strikes launched by the US and Israel on Iran, considering them a "clear violation" of international law, adding that Turkey shares the pain of the Iranian people in the context of the spreading war, which he claims was provoked by Israel, Reuters reports, according to Agerpres.

Turkey, a NATO member and neighbor of Iran, has been urging Washington and Tehran for weeks to reach an agreement and has warned that the Middle East cannot withstand further conflict.

In his strongest opposition to the US-Israeli bombings to date, Erdogan said they were a "clear violation of international law."

'As their neighbor and brother, we share the pain of the Iranian people,' he said at a Ramadan dinner in Ankara. According to Erdogan, the dispute between the US and Iran has turned into war as a result of provocations from Israel.

Turkey has historically had complex relations with Iran. The two countries have supported opposing sides in the Syrian civil war, but have maintained strong political and commercial ties despite their differences.

On the other hand, Erdogan has established close personal ties with US President Donald Trump. The Turkish president assured on Monday that his country would increase contacts until a truce was reached and diplomacy could take its course, stressing that Turkey did not want "fighting, war, tensions, and massacres" on its borders.

"Our entire position on the illegal attacks against Iran remains along these lines," Erdogan added, warning that without "necessary intervention," there could be "serious repercussions" for regional and global security.

'No one can manage the burden of economic and geopolitical uncertainties that such a period will cause. That is why this fire must be extinguished before it grows even more,' the Turkish president pointed out.

Trump said Monday that the military operation against Iran would last as long as necessary, possibly even more than five weeks, adding that he had ordered the operation to neutralize Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which he claimed were developing rapidly, without presenting any evidence.

But without a ground intervention, air strikes may not be enough to bring about a change of power in Tehran, the main objective pursued by the US. Trump assured that the "big wave" of the offensive against Iran is yet to come and that he will not hesitate to send American ground troops to Iran "if necessary."