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

Turkey

Turkey

March 23, 2026

Ankara 8:28 am

7°C

United Arab Emirates army helicopters fly from the Burj al Arab hotel (R) toward Burj Khalifa, Dubai, Jan. 16, 2026.

Analysis

Iran war drives Turkey-Gulf defense alignment, but not alliance

Despite accelerated cooperation as a result of the US-Israeli war on Iran, structural and political constraints would make a formal military alliance unlikely.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (R) and Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (2L) arrive to address a joint press conference in Doha on March 19, 2026. (Photo by Karim JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey, Qatar pledge to deepen defense ties, blame Israel for Iran war

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s trip to Doha is part of a Gulf tour that began Wednesday in Riyadh, as Iran continues to strike energy assets across the region.

Latest News

Exclusive

Iraqi oil flows to Turkey after US pledges role in Baghdad-Kurds customs dispute

A view of the oil refinery on March 17, 2026 in Erbil, Iraq.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

NATO deploys new Patriot battery to Turkey as Fidan in Riyadh for regional talks

A Patriot anti-missile battery launcher, deployed by Dutch NATO soldiers, is seen March 11, 2003 at the Diyarbakir military airport in southeastern Turkey.

Desperate to sell its oil, Iraq turns to Turkey amid standoff with Kurds

An Iraqi oil tanker waits at the Khawr Abd Allah canal leading up to Al-Faw port in southern Iraq, on June 6, 2024.

Analysis

No strangers to turmoil, Turkey-Iran to maintain ties under Mojtaba Khamenei

Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP via Getty Images

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Fourth Turkish drilling ship arrives from South Korea

Turkey's fourth drilling ship is set to bring the country's drilling fleet to another level.

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

NATO allies read Turkey’s wish list as Ankara holds up membership bids

Ankara has listed the presence of what it calls terrorists in Sweden and Finland as its main objection to their accession but other factors could feature.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s middle class priced out of home ownership

Buying a home has become an elusive dream even for middle-class professionals in Turkey as the country’s economic woes erupt into a perfect storm over the housing market.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg poses with application documents presented by Finland's Ambassador to NATO Klaus Korhonen and Sweden's Ambassador to NATO Axel Wernhoff during a ceremony to mark Sweden's and Finland's application for membership in Brussels, on May 18, 2022.

US assures Sweden, Finland of military support as Turkey delays NATO entry

Turkish Airlines Airbus A321 takes off.

Airport wars flare up in Turkey amid claims of Gulf acquisition

A row over the fate of Istanbul’s iconic Ataturk Airport has escalated in Turkey amid opposition claims that a plan to demolish the facility is designed to gratify Gulf investors interested in operating the city’s newer airport.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

How Sweden, Finland’s NATO membership could impact Turkey

If Ankara can be tactful about Stockholm and Helsinki’s possible membership in NATO, it has a chance to see its concerns addressed.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Turkish government discovers 'astroturfing'

Seemingly acting on social media calls, the Turkish government cracks down on the secular lifestyle, experts warn.

HENRIK MONTGOMERY/TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

How long can Erdogan sustain threat to veto Finnish, Swedish NATO bids?

Erdogan shakes up otherwise unified Western alliance on Ukraine war.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Opposition claims military contractor poses risk to Turkish elections

Kemal Kilicdaroglu has highlighted security company Sadat as a potential threat to polls due over next year.

A real estate advertising offers apartments and houses with the view on the canal, in the small coastal village of Karaburun, near Istanbul, on June 12, 2018.

Erdogan’s home loan incentives threaten to fan inflation

A further increase in already skyrocketing home prices appears inevitable in Turkey following Erdogan’s announcement of loan incentives, a move that many pundits see as pouring fuel on the inflation fire.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference after the NATO summit at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels on June 14, 2021.

Turkey continues to play hard ball over Sweden, Finland NATO membership

Turkey’s Islamic-leaning Justice and Development Party government is demanding that both countries end their arms embargoes on Turkey over its military intervention in 2019 against the Kurds in northeast Syria.

Recreational boats along the shore of the salt lake of Urmia and Shahid Kalantari causeway crossing it in Iran.

Is a water crisis brewing between Turkey and Iran?

Discord over transboundary waters and dam construction emerges as a major factor underlying the strains in Turkish-Iranian ties.