TEHRAN (Tasnim) � The political deputy of Iran�s Presidential Office voiced Tehran�s support for the Turkish nation in its struggle to crush an armed coup.

In a post on his Twitter account on Saturday, Hamid Abutalebi said one of the main principles for Iran is supporting people and democratically elected governments.

Expressing the confidence that the people of Turkey will defend their country�s sovereignty, Abutalebi emphasized that Iran has never been indifferent to coups and violations of sovereignty of nations.

He noted that Iran is closely monitoring the situation in Turkey and believes that the will of people will be the determining factor.

A coup, launched by a faction in Turkey�s armed forces, appeared to crumble in the early hours of Saturday after crowds answered President Tayyip Erdogan's call to take to the streets to support him.

Erdogan, who had been holidaying on the southwest coast when the coup was launched, flew into Istanbul before dawn on Saturday and was shown on TV appearing among a crowd of supporters outside Ataturk Airport.

The uprising was an �act of treason�, and those responsible would pay a heavy price, he later told reporters at a hastily arranged news conference. Arrests of officers were under way, and it would go higher up the ranks, culminating in the cleansing of the military, he said.

The coup began with warplanes and helicopters roaring over Ankara and troops moving in to seal off the bridges over the Bosphorus Strait that links Europe and Asia in Istanbul.

Authorities had shut the strait to tanker traffic. A helicopter open fire in Ankara. Anadolu said military helicopters had fired on the headquarters of the intelligence agency.
Airports were shut and access to internet social media sites was cut off in the first hours of the coup attempt.

Soldiers took control of TRT state television, which announced a countrywide curfew and martial law. An announcer read a statement on the orders of the military that accused the government of eroding the democratic and secular rule of law. Turkey would be run by a �peace council� that would ensure the safety of the population, the statement said.

TRT went off the air shortly afterwards. It resumed broadcasting in the early hours of Saturday.

Anadolu said the chief of Turkey�s military staff was among people taken �hostage� in the capital Ankara but Prime Minister Yildirim later said he was back in control.
The coup had appeared strong early on Friday evening.

Istanbul�s Ataturk Airport has reopened and news channels have begun broadcasting again, after being temporarily shut down by soldiers earlier in the night.

By Tasnim News Agency