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July 10, 2026

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Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Turkey brokers intra-Somalia talks as federal rifts test Ankara’s influence

Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland and Jubaland states reportedly declined to join the talks, as Ankara is ramping up efforts to shore up support for Somalia’s federal institutions.

Getty Images

Trump 'undecided' on Turkey's F-35s as Congress seeks answers on S-400

Top Democratic lawmakers say the ball is in Ankara’s court on rejoining the US-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, but suggest that Turkey offshoring its Russian-made S-400 system won’t be enough.

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R) shakes hands with Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian during his visit in Yerevan on July 19, 2025. (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN / AFP) (Photo by KAREN MINASYAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Feature

Armenia's Pashinyan keeps Iran close while wooing Trump, Turkey and Azerbaijan

As Yerevan pursues normalization with Turkey and Azerbaijan and backs a US-led transport corridor, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is working to reassure an increasingly assertive Iran that its interests won't be threatened.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Trump declares MoU with Iran 'over' as Hegseth cancels trip to Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not shown) for bilateral talks at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Explainer

Why Trump bid to lift CAATSA sanctions on Turkey faces complicated path

US President Donald Trump walks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a state arrival ceremony at the Bestepe Presidential Complex for the annual NATO Summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

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

A Russian S-400 air defence mobile missile launching system takes part in a rehearsal for a military parade in Minsk June 26, 2014. Belarus will mark the 70th anniversary of the country's liberation from the Nazis on July 3. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko (BELARUS - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) - GM1EA6R03KP01

Turkey, US head to new crisis over Ankara’s S-400 purchase

Washington’s threats of dire consequences for Turkey if it goes ahead with the Russian air-defense deal are being disregarded by Ankara.

Palestinians pray as Israeli border police stand guard near the entrance door leading to the compound housing al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC1CD60A6C60

Netanyahu, King Abdullah in bind over Temple Mount

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordanian King Abdullah II share a similar dilemma: They both need for tensions on the Temple Mount to calm down, but cannot afford to appear as the weak side in this affair.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a meeting of provincial election officials at the headquarters of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara on January 29, 2019. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Erdogan basing campaign on ploy of 'fake it till you make it'

Candidates representing the ruling party in Turkey's upcoming local elections are depending heavily on the president's popularity, which appears to be waning.

Members of Taksim solidarity platform pose in front of a banner reading "Darkness will go, Gezi will stay" on March 11, 2019 during a press conference in Istanbul. - Turkish activists at the forefront of the mass 2013 anti-government protests on March 11, 2019, rejected "irrational" and "unlawful" indictment targeting prominent Turkish businessman Osman Kavala and 15 others. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish activists decry indictment seeking life sentences for Gezi protesters

Opposition figures are accused of trying to force out President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by leading demonstrations to save a park, yet they say the charges are an attempt to sway public opinion ahead of elections this month

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (L) and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) sign a cooperation agreement before a joint press conference with Turkey's President and Iran's President at the Turkish presidential complex in Ankara on December 20, 2018. - The Turkish President held talks with Rouhani with Syria likely to dominate the agenda after the surprise US decision to withdraw. The meeting in Ankara had been arranged before US President stunned allies and American officials the day before w

Turkish-Iranian trade disappoints big time

Turkish-Iranian trade has declined to its lowest level in nine years despite political rapprochement, a preferential trade agreement and the use of local currencies in economic ties.

Is this the end of the Syrian Interim Government?

The resignation of Jawad Abu Hatab as prime minister of the Syrian National Coalition-backed Syrian Interim Government raises doubts about the future of the endeavor in light of advancements by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib province.

Syrian truckers fear for jobs as Turkish drivers cross border

Turkish trucks have been entering Syria through the recently opened Bab al-Salam crossing, to the protests of Syrian truckers and shippers.

Istanbul's first Kurdish film festival casts light on women issues

From Saturday Mothers whose sons went missing in the 1990s to homeless children whose parents have been killed, Kurdish films provide a grim reflection on the situation on the ground in Turkey.

People queue to buy vegetables at a tent set up by the Ankara metropolitan municipality in the Cankaya district of the Turkish capital, on February 13, 2019. - Confronted with persistently high inflation more than a month before local elections, Turkish authorities this week set up stands to sell vegetables at unbeatable prices in a bid to force markets to lower their prices. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey's economy sinks into recession

Financial media say the Turkish economy is in recession, and Turkey refuses to renew the press cards of three German journalists.

Russian servicemen drive S-400 missile air defence systems during the Victory Day parade, marking the 73rd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia May 9, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - RC1D3531D5F0

Intel: How Russia is pushing weapons sale that has roiled US-Turkey relations

A member of Manbij Military Council gestures at a car in Manbij city, Syria December 29, 2018. Picture taken December 29, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC1EFBFDDC70

Russian forces will defend Manbij 'the minute Americans leave'

The Manbij Military Council and Russian commanders have made a verbal agreement over who will defend Manbij when the United States leaves, and Turkey is not part of the equation.

Can joint Turkey-Iran action against PKK be real?

Turkey’s wish for a joint operation with Iran against the outlawed Kurdish militants along the Turkish-Iranian border is back on the agenda once again, but how realistic is it? Experts believe it is not.