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Turkey

September 13, 2026

Ankara 2:51 pm

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People swim next to the Russian-flagged cargo ship OMSKIY-107, which was attacked off the Black Sea coast and eventually ran aground off the shore of the Sile district, Istanbul, Sept. 3, 2026.

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

The Russia-Ukraine drone war is hitting Turkish commercial interests, exposing the limits of Ankara’s ability to protect shipping while remaining outside the conflict.

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather during a rally to recruit more fighters in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia's Houthi crisis tests alliances with Trump, Turkey and Pakistan

As the Houthis tighten their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb, Saudi Arabia is turning to new regional alliances while Washington resists calls to intervene.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Turkey’s defense giants court Egypt at Alamein Airshow: What to know

El Alamein International Airshow

Russia to give Turkey preferential fertilizer access amid Hormuz supply crunch

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Kristina Solovyova / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Turkish ceramicist Leyla Borovali shapes Aegean heritage into clay

Leyla Borovali at her studio overlooking the Aegean

Analysis

With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones

TAI Hurjet

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

A general view taken on May 8, 2019 shows the destruction in the village of Kansafrah following reported shelling on the rebel-held Idlib province on May 8, 2019. - Violence in the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib has displaced more than 150,000 people in the past week, the UN said, as the regime and Russia upped deadly bombardment of the jihadist bastion. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Syrian opposition says it won’t accept Russian soldiers in demilitarized area

A few days after the 12th round of Astana peace talks on Syria, the Syrian government and Russia resume heavy shelling in Idlib.

Turkey and Palestine maintain strong ties despite US pressures

Turkey is proving to be a strong ally to Palestine despite being a member of NATO and having a long-standing military relationship with Israel, and Palestinian officials are trying to use this relationship to counterpressure the Trump administration and Israel.

Supporters of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) wave Turkish flags during a gathering to protest after the High Election Board (YSK) decided to re-run the mayoral election, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 6, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1DE2BFC030

Turkey's opposition protests, plans as date set for Istanbul re-vote

The announcement that the Istanbul mayoral election was going to be held again was greeted with the discordant sounds of clanging pots and pans, and supporters of opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu now face the difficult task of finding the recipe that can bring him victory again June 23.

Ekrem Imamoglu of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), who was elected mayor after the March 31 elections, addresses his supporters after the High Election Board (YSK) decided to re-run the mayoral election, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 6, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC134ED8A270

Erdogan could lose more than Istanbul in high-stakes electoral gamble

With many Turks outraged over the nullification of Istanbul's election results, the oppression of dissent and violence expected going into the rerun could backfire on the increasingly authoritarian president.

Smoke billows above building during reported shelling by government and allied forces, in the town of Hbeit in the southern countryside of the rebel-held Idlib province on May 3,2019. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Can assault on Idlib facilitate Russia-Turkey deal?

As the Russian Khmeimim base has come under militant shelling, the Russian military boosted the Syrian army assault on Idlib amid speculation over a back-channel Russian deal with Turkey.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 14, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC1E4A498AC0

Saudis’ troubled ties in region threaten Trump's anti-Iran agenda

The Trump administration is tightening the screws on Iran, but Saudi Arabia, Iran's archnemesis, may not be of help drumming up support for the US policy given the state of its current relations in the Arab world.

Russian S-400 Triumph/SA-21 Growler medium-range and long-range surface-to-air missile systems drive during the Victory Day parade at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. Russia marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe on Saturday with a military parade, showcasing new military hardware at a time when relations with the West have hit lows not seen since the Cold War. REUTERS/Host Photo Agency/RIA Novosti ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS D

Is Erdogan’s trust in Trump in the S-400/F-35 standoff misplaced?

Turkish government officials believe that if Trump was not hamstrung by Congress and the Pentagon, he and Erdogan would have solved this matter by now.

An election banner with the pictures of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and AK Party mayoral candidate Binali Yildirim is seen over the Galata bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1157E63D00

US holds its fire on Istanbul election nullification

The State Department says it is monitoring Turkey’s decision to scrap the Istanbul mayoral election results, but has so far refrained from directly weighing in.

Ekrem Imamoglu of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), who was elected mayor after the March 31 elections, addresses his supporters after the High Election Board (YSK) decided to re-run the mayoral election, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 6, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC134ED8A270

Turkish opposition will not boycott Istanbul election rerun

As the Turkish opposition party whose victory in the municipal elections agrees to participate in a new vote, critics of the regime fear any outcome of the rematch for control of Istanbul.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif during a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey October 30, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC15CF69EA60

How US sanctions facilitate Turkish-Iranian understanding on Syria

Faced with US pressures on multiple fronts, Iran and Turkey are likely to step up cooperation — including in Syria, where the two neighbors remain at odds over multiple issues.

Unlikely woman new heroine of Turkish opposition

The main opposition Istanbul chief criticizes the decision of Turkey's Supreme Electoral Board to annul the results of the Istanbul municipal elections, saying that official institutions should respect the choice of the people.

A Turkish flag, with the New and the Suleymaniye mosques in the background, flies on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Turkey, April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1B6C6E4270

Intel: How Turkey just shattered many voters' already fractured trust in their democracy

Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Council today annulled the results of local elections in Istanbul, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) suffered a historic defeat just over a month ago.