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

Turkey

Turkey

January 15, 2026

Ankara 1:06 pm

3°C

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a joint press conference in Tehran, on Nov. 30, 2025.

In call with Araghchi, Turkey's Fidan urges Iran to negotiate with US

The top Turkish diplomat held back-to-back calls with Iranian and US officials as Ankara watches developments in Iran with mounting concern.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan listens to Iran's foreign minister during a joint press conference, in Tehran on Nov. 30, 2025.

Turkey's Fidan to visit UAE as Iran unrest, Gulf tensions intensify

The top Turkish diplomat’s UAE visit coincides with heightened Gaza diplomacy, growing tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, and escalating unrest in Iran.

Sadaf Ebrahimi walks down a row of demonstrators at Lafayette Park in front of the White House during the "Free Iran" rally on Jan 10, 2026, in Washington.

Analysis

Trump dials up risky Iran tariffs that would hit China, UAE and others: What to know

Any country trading with Iran now faces a 25% tariff, per the White House, but the move is unlikely to ratchet up pressure on Tehran in the short term.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as they attend the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization in Khankendi, Azerbaijan on July 4, 2025.

Turkey warns against foreign intervention in Iran as Trump mulls options

Ankara is wary of the consequences of potential US strikes on Iran, warning they could trigger wider regional instability.

Latest News

Interview

Gaza calm could revive East Med Forum, Israel-Jordan projects: Cohen

Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen gives a press conference in Larnaca on December 20, 2023 talking about a humanitarian aid corridor from the Mediterranean island to war-torn Gaza. (Photo by Elisa AMOURET / AFP) (Photo by ELISA AMOURET/AFP via Getty Images)

Eli Cohen

Eli Cohen

Israeli Energy Minister

Analysis

Amid Saudi-UAE rivalry, Turkey courts Riyadh without crossing Abu Dhabi

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) gestures as he welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (R) during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

Ezgi Akin

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

Turkey's Fidan says Israel ties harden SDF stance as Syria clashes grow

ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images

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

Turkey drone

Turkey looks to sell armed drones to Libya

Ankara’s new deals with one of Libya’s rival premiers have inflamed the country’s internal rows, bringing the north African nation closer to acquiring armed drones.

A man looks at cryptocurrency prices in a window of a cryptocurrency exchange office, Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 19, 2021.

Report: Turkey has highest cryptocurrency interest in Middle East

CryptoManiaks also found a relatively high amount of crypto-related Google searches in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz attends a laying wreath ceremony at Anitkabir.

Turkey, Israel agree to strengthen defense ties

Israeli defense chief stressed stability in the Eastern Mediterranean during his landmark visit to Ankara amid lingering tensions between Turkey and Greece.

A participant faces riot policemen wearing a rainbow flag during a pride march in Istanbul, on June 26, 2022.

Turkey’s LGBTQ community alarmed over Erdogan’s ‘family’ vision

Rights activists in Turkey fear a rise in homophobic discrimination and hate crimes as Erdogan vocally stigmatizes the LGBTQ community.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s Central Bank raises inflation forecast yet again

Turkey's central bank governor has raised the inflation estimate for the fourth time in a year as prices hit a 24-year high.

Turkey media

Siege tightens around Turkey’s critical newsrooms ahead of election

Government opponents fear Ankara will use all of its means to stifle unfavorable news and public debate ahead of crucial elections next year.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey detains head of medical association on terror charges

Sebnem Korur Fincanci was detained for allegedly disseminating "terrorist propaganda" a day after a political ally of the government demanded her Turkish citizenship be revoked and the Turkish Medical Association be closed down.

Burak Kara/Getty Images

Orthodox schism shakes Turkish Riviera

A major rift in Orthodox Christianity compounded by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven a wedge into a growing Orthodox community on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.

Peoples' Democratic Party's Zuleyha Gulum holds a banner "Truths cannot be obscured."

Turkey ramps up pressure on Kurdish journalists with mass detentions

The detentions are part of a campaign against journalists working for outlets that report on rights abuses, particularly in the Kurdish-majority southeast.

This picture taken on March 24, 2019, shows a discarded Islamic State flag.

Syrian man sentenced in Turkey for burning two alive under Islamic State

A Turkish court has sentenced a Syrian man for ordering the burning executions of two Turkish nationals in 2016, but many aspects of the grisly murder remain in the dark.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's infamous Diyarbakir prison empties for museum makeover

Diyarbakir prison, a symbol of torture and oppression for decades in Turkey, has finally closed to be made into a museum, but some activists see whitewashing on its bloodstained walls.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Next British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's views on Middle East

The Conservative statesman has expressed fairly mainstream views on Israel, Iran and other regional issues.