Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

June 22, 2026

Ankara 8:47 pm

19°C

This photograph shows a Turkish national flag at the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing with Iran next to a black flag on the Iranian side, following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in eastern Turkey on March 2, 2026.

Analysis

Turkey eyes gains from US-Iran deal as Ankara balances Tehran, Washington

Turkey sees the US-Iran memorandum as a chance to reduce regional spillover risks, revive trade with Tehran and gain diplomatic breathing room.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A Turkish police officers patrols at the scene of a motor-bike bomb explosion, next to a police station on Oct. 6, 2016, in Istanbul.

Turkey captures alleged ISIS-K media chief near Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The capture comes as Turkish authorities intensify raids against Islamic State networks following recent attacks and alleged plots.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

The meeting comes ahead of US President Trump’s expected attendance at next month's NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, after Trump personally urged his Turkish counterpart to reopen the Halki Seminary.

Latest News

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22, 2026.

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Feature

Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkish publisher Aydin Dogan holds the Victoria award during a ceremony at the Publishers Night in Berlin November 17, 2008. Dogan was awarded for his engagement in Germen Turkish integrations. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke (GERMANY) - RTXAP3D

Turkish media mogul in court after publishing controversial story

One day after Turkey's president blasted media mogul Aydin Dogan over a Hurriyet story he said sowed discord between the government and the armed forces, Dogan, who is also US President Donald Trump’s business partner, has been summoned to appear in court over fuel-smuggling accusations nearly a decade old.

A photo taken on July 20, 2016 shows a Turkish flag on the Istanbul Justice Palace (Adalet Sarayi).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 20 chaired a crunch security meeting for the first time since the failed coup, as global alarm grew over a widening purge that has seen around 50,000 people either detained or sacked. / AFP / BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish court upholds free speech … for Erdogan

A Turkish court has given sanction to public insults by the president against dissident academics, yet another omen of how subservient the Turkish judiciary has become.

Fighters of the Manbij military council, allied to Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), take an overwatch position in the southern rural area of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria June 1, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo - RTX2ONCT

Will Turkey attack Kurds in Manbij or move on to Raqqa?

Now that the Syrian army has blocked the road from al-Bab to Raqqa, Turkey may instead assault Manbij, which won’t be easy.

File Photo: Selahattin Demirtas, co-leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), greets the crowd during a peace rally to protest against Turkish military operations in northern Syria, in Istanbul, Turkey, September 4, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo - RTX2RUA4

Turkey downplays Barzani's support for HDP

Now that Iraqi Kurdistan's president has left Istanbul, Turkey is denying reports that he had appealed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to free several prominent Kurdish politicians from jail, probably because suggestions that Barzani was lobbying on behalf of Turkey's pro-Kurdish parties complicated Erdogan's efforts to woo Kurdish voters in the run-up to the April 16 referendum.

Fictional president falls victim to censorship in Turkey

A short comedy film becomes the latest victim of censorship in Turkey, as authorities seem to grow pricklier ahead of a critical plebiscite in April.

Supporters of the ruling AK Party wave Turkish flags during a campaign meeting for the April 16 constitutional referendum, in Ankara, Turkey, February 25, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTS108VN

Turkey's AKP scrambles to contain crisis ahead of key vote

Turkey’s government has enacted a series of economic measures to woo voters ahead of a key constitutional referendum, but the threat of the economic crisis is far from over.

Iraq's Kurdistan region's President Massoud Barzani (C) speaks during a news conference on the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTX2P71L

Barzani asks Erdogan to free pro-Kurdish detainees

In a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani has called for Turkey to release political leader Selahattin Demirtas and other pro-Kurdish lawmakers.

Turkish soldiers accused of attempting to assassinate President Tayyip Erdogan on the night of the failed last year's July 15 coup, are escorted by gendarmes as they arrive for the first hearing of the trial in Mugla, Turkey, February 20, 2017. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz - RTSZGNP

Turkey coup defendants deny Gulen affiliation

The group trials have begun of soldiers charged in connection with the July coup, and although their defenses have varied, all have so far denied being followers of cleric Fethullah Gulen.

A supporter of the ruling AK Party holds a scarf that reads: "We are grandchildren of Ottoman. Recep Tayyip Erdogan." during a campaign meeting for the April 16 constitutional referendum, in Ankara, Turkey, February 25, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTS108WG

Why is Erdogan rushing into a referendum now?

While Turkey's economic and security vulnerabilities increase, Erdogan has run out of enemies to rally his base against for the April referendum.

Yahya Sinwar (C), the new leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, arrives for the opening of a new mosque in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip on February 24, 2017. / AFP / SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran pulls Palestine from the margins

The Iranian leadership turns out in force for Palestinian conference; Turkey’s victory in al-Bab may be a prelude to a showdown with the Syrian Kurds.

An imam passes the Turkish flag during a demonstration in support of Turkey's President Erdogan (not pictured) at the Sarachane park in Istanbul on July 19, 2016.
Turkey has demanded the resignation of 1,577 university deans suspected of being connected with Friday's attempted coup, state-run news agency Anadolu reported July 19. The country's higher education board made the demand for deans at state and private foundation universities to resign, Anadolu said.
/ AFP / ARIS MESSINIS (Photo credit sh

'Spying imams' spark new crisis between Europe, Turkey

Because of accusations of espionage, Turkey had to recall religious attaches and official imams from several European countries.

Foreign ministers, Mevlut Cavusoglu (2nd L) of Turkey and Mohammad Javad Zarif (R) of Iran, attend a meeting in Moscow, Russia, December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RTX2VUBT

Is Iran-Turkey tension intentional?

Turkey, while seeking to access Gulf funds and boost its defense industry exports, has risked economic relations with Iran — but the risk could also hold opportunity.