ANALYSIS
"Turkey's Stake in the U.S.–Iran Deal" by Mustafa Enes Esen, The Institute for Diplomacy and Economy
Turkey's perspective on the agreement rests on several considerations: the early calculus that the Iranian regime would survive, the domestic economic costs of the conflict, the potential commercial opportunities from sanctions relief, and the implications for the regional balance of power.
With regime continuity no longer in question, Tehran may have stronger incentives to adhere to commitments than in earlier negotiation rounds. Nonetheless, the risk of renewed confrontation in the Gulf remains present. For Turkey, the value of the agreement lies less in its formal conclusion than in its durability.
"Orban’s Defeat Is Being Dangerously Misread" by Stefan Ihrig, Foreign Policy
Given that losing power likely means prison or exile, Erdogan is pulling out all the stops. If he can no longer rely on economic populism, he is building alternative safeguards. On the one hand, he has SADAT, a private military contractor that acts essentially as Erdogan’s own version of the Russian Wagner Group. On the other, there are new paramilitary street networks such as the Ottoman Hearths—an ultranationalist, informal militia intensely loyal to Erdogan, ready to act as his political enforcers outside the traditional state apparatus.
None of this means that Erdogan will indeed use conflict and war as a means to stay in power. But given how the Kurdish topic has played out, it might not be off the table. His alliance with the extreme nationalists further makes the situation more volatile. War and protracted conflict have served Netanyahu to keep his hold over Israeli society. (Though his coalition, too, bangs its head against that imaginary wall at around 50 percent of the votes.) Perhaps Erdogan will take a page out of Netanyahu’s playbook.
"Turkey presses NATO’s EU members to broaden their horizons" by Galip Dalay, Chatham House
From Turkey’s perspective, European security cannot be left to the EU countries alone. Whether the United States reduces its support for NATO or withdraws it, the continent requires a new architecture – starting with closer cooperation between alliance members in the EU and those outside it, especially Turkey, Britain and Norway. The aim should be to strengthen the European pillar within NATO and widen security by adopting a pan-continental approach. In time, such a framework should aim to include non-EU and non-NATO European states, such as Ukraine, and could pave the way for a European Security Council.
Much is at stake. Yet amid the fears about the future of NATO and the US commitment to it, an opportunity exists to revitalize and repurpose the alliance by paving the way for closer, more structured cooperation between NATO’s EU and non-EU European members. This could give Europe a greater sense of where its security lies if US support is reduced or withdrawn. It might also make Europe the centre of gravity for its wider neighbourhood and a formidable pole in an emerging post-western world. The first steps should be taken at Ankara in July.
POLITICS
Ozel Says Party Preparing for Possible Snap Election
Ozgur Ozel, chairman of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), stated during a television program that the party was preparing for the possibility of a snap election. "If there is going to be a snap election in October this year, we have to be ready for that too," Ozel stated.
Ozel noted that the CHP was considering two separate options under a possible early election scenario. The first would be to establish a new political party, while the second would involve holding talks with some existing parties to change their statutes, names, logos and leadership structures.
He stated that immediately joining a new party may not be on the agenda at this stage, but preparations were already underway.
CHP Loses Nine Lawmakers After Membership Records Deleted
The Republican People's Party (CHP) has lost nine lawmakers from its official party rolls after their membership records were removed from the Supreme Court of Appeals' political parties registry, reducing the party's representation in parliament from 138 to 129 seats.
The nine lawmakers were referred to the party's High Disciplinary Board on June 10 with a request for expulsion and were suspended from party duties by a leadership team headed by former CHP chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who returned to the post after a court removed Ozgur Ozel and his team from the party leadership last month.
The lawmakers referred for expulsion are Ali Mahir Basarir, Burhanettin Bulut, Ensar Aytekin, Gokhan Gunaydin, Nurhayat Altaca Kayisoglu, Ozgur Karabat, Turan Taskin Ozer, Veli Agbaba and Umut Akdogan.
Umut Akdogan, a CHP lawmaker representing Ankara whose membership was removed, argued that the decision was premature and unlawful because he had not yet exercised his right to present a defense before the disciplinary board or challenge any ruling through the courts.
In a separate development, Istanbul lawmaker Nimet Ozdemir resigned from the CHP on June 17, further reducing the party's presence in parliament. In a petition submitted to the parliament speaker's office, Ozdemir stated that she was resigning from CHP membership "due to necessity" but did not provide further details.
Following Ozdemir's departure, the CHP's parliamentary seats fell to 128, while the number of independent lawmakers increased to 10.
Ozdemir, elected from the Good Party in the May 14, 2023 elections, resigned from the party in 2024 and later joined the CHP. Rumors circulating in political circles suggest that Ozdemir may join the AK Party in the coming days. If this occurs, Ozdemir will have joined her third party in three years.
CHP’s Izmir Mayor Resigns from Party
The mayor of Turkey's western province of Izmir, widely regarded as the CHP’s strongest electoral stronghold, resigned from the party on June 18.
Cemil Tugay announced on X that a court ruling reinstating former CHP chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu and his team, along with subsequent developments within the party, had caused serious damage to the CHP. He also described recent expulsions from the party as "very worrying."
Tugay stated that efforts to convene a new CHP party congress were unlikely to yield results in time and argued that many party members would continue to face unfair and unlawful treatment.
He added that he would continue serving as mayor of Izmir as an independent.
Journalist Saban Sevinc reported that Tugay spoke with CHP leader Ozgur Ozel before announcing his resignation and that there was no disagreement between the two over the decision. According to Sevinc, Ozel respected Tugay's choice and expressed hope that they would reunite within the CHP in the future.
Turkish Police Detain CHP Mayors, Officials in Graft Probes
Security forces carried out operations on June 19 targeting municipalities run by the Republican People's Party (CHP) in Istanbul's Adalar district and the southern coastal district of Silifke in Mersin province as part of investigations into alleged corruption and fraud.
Police conducted simultaneous raids across four cities in the morning, detaining 41 of 47 suspects named in detention warrants, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced in a statement. Among those detained was Adalar Mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat.
According to the prosecutor's office, the suspects are accused of bribery, embezzlement, forgery of official documents, forming and leading a criminal organization, and abuse of office.
In a separate operation targeting the Silifke municipality, several people, including Mayor Mustafa Turgut and several deputy mayors, were detained as part of an investigation into allegations of bribery, embezzlement, bid-rigging and abuse of office.
Turkish police also detained 15 people, including the deputy mayor of the CHP-run Seferihisar Municipality in the western province of Izmir, on June 17 as part of a separate bribery investigation. The detainees included Deputy Mayor Ibrahim Gokhan Pehlivan.
Turkish Parliament Receives Requests to Lift Immunity of 12 Lawmakers Including Ozel
Turkey's parliament has received requests seeking the removal of the legislative immunity of 12 lawmakers, including CHP’s leader Ozgur Ozel. The parliament speaker's office referred 14 files to a joint committee comprising members of the Constitution and Justice committees for review.
The lawmakers named in the files include Turhan Comez, deputy parliamentary group chair of the opposition Good Party; CHP lawmakers Mustafa Sarigul, Ismet Guneshan, Eylem Ertug Ertugrul, Ulas Karasu, Suleyman Bulbul, Cemal Enginyurt and Cevdet Akay; Good Party lawmaker Hakan Seref Olgun; New Path Party lawmaker Mesut Dogan; and Workers' Party of Turkey lawmaker Ahmet Sik.
The committee will examine the requests before any further parliamentary action is taken regarding the lawmakers' immunity status.
ECONOMY
Bad Loans Rise Faster Than Credit Volume, CHP Lawmaker Says
Non-performing loans in Turkey are rising much faster than overall credit volume, CHP Deputy Chairman and Istanbul lawmaker Ozgur Karabat stated, citing data on credit and borrowing in the Turkish economy.
According to figures shared by Karabat, Turkey's total credit volume stood at 15.9 trillion lira at the beginning of 2025 and rose 64.8% to 26.2 trillion lira as of June 12, 2026. Over the same period, non-performing loans increased by 155%, climbing from 293.7 billion lira to 747.9 billion lira.
Karabat stated that the current economic outlook was unsustainable, warning that if the trend is not reversed, more foreclosures and bankruptcies could follow.
Turkey Seeks Longer-Term Kirkuk-Ceyhan Pipeline Deal
Turkey does not want to extend the existing Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline agreement under current conditions, a senior Turkish official stated.
Iraq has asked Turkey to extend the current Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline agreement for at least one year to allow more time to negotiate a new accord. The Iraqi government submitted the request to Ankara to provide additional time for talks on a replacement agreement covering the key export route.
"There is no point in extending an agreement that has been subject to arbitration," the Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.
A Turkish official familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Ankara wants the pipeline to operate at significantly higher volumes and is seeking a longer-term agreement lasting 5 to 10 years.
Although the pipeline has a capacity of nearly 1.5 million barrels per day, actual volumes remain well below that level. Exports from Kirkuk to Turkey averaged 177,000 barrels per day in April, Reuters reported.
Turkey Approves Uber Deal to Acquire Getir Delivery Arm
Turkey's Competition Board announced on June 19 that it had approved Uber Technologies Inc.'s acquisition of Getir's delivery arm from its Emirati controlling shareholder, Mubadala.
The board stated that Uber Technologies Inc.'s commitment to invest a total of $500 million in Turkey was expected to support high-quality employment, strengthen local engineering capabilities and contribute positively to the development of Turkey's digital and technology infrastructure.
HUMAN RIGHTS
European Parliament Urges EU to Consider Sanctions on Turkey's Justice Minister
The European Parliament on June 17 adopted a report calling on the European Union to consider human rights sanctions against Turkey's Justice Minister Akin Gurlek. The report, prepared by Nacho Sanchez Amor, a Spanish lawmaker and the European Parliament's standing rapporteur on Turkey, urged Ankara to address concerns over judicial independence, press freedom, fundamental freedoms and democratic standards.
It also identified the former Istanbul chief public prosecutor as a key figure in what lawmakers described as a state machinery of repression and accused him of pursuing a political agenda during his judicial career.
Lawmakers approved the resolution by 381 votes to 107, with 171 abstentions, during a plenary session in Strasbourg.
Sanchez Amor stated that Turkey was moving toward an authoritarian system and accused the government of using the judiciary for political purposes.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded that the report contained flawed assessments based on misinformation and unfounded claims by anti-Turkey circles.
"We categorically reject the distortion of the ongoing judicial processes conducted by the independent Turkish judiciary and the targeting of the Minister of Justice with baseless accusations in the report," the ministry stated.
The resolution is non-binding and does not place Gurlek on a European Union sanctions list.
Any such designation would require a separate decision by the Council of the European Union, which represents the bloc's 27 member states.
Reuters Institute Report: Trust in News in Turkey Falls to 28%
Media ownership in Turkey is becoming increasingly concentrated among a small number of groups, while independent news organizations face mounting economic and regulatory pressures, according to the Reuters Institute's 2026 Digital News Report.
The report found that overall trust in news in Turkey fell by five percentage points over the past year to 28%, while the share of people who said they sometimes or often avoid news reached 60%, among the highest levels recorded globally.
It noted that a significant portion of Turkey's major television and print media outlets are controlled by business groups widely regarded as having close ties to President Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
The study found no direct relationship between the size of a media outlet and the level of public trust it enjoys. According to the findings, pro-government broadcasters recorded the highest levels of distrust, while outlets producing opposition-oriented news content received the highest levels of public trust.
The report concluded that independent media organizations are facing challenges not only from political pressures but also from financial constraints. It highlighted that a large share of advertising revenue is concentrated among global technology companies and media outlets seen as close to the government.
Turkey Blocks Access to Change.Org
Turkey has blocked access to Change.org, a global online petition platform widely used for digital signature campaigns on social, political and rights-related issues, the Freedom of Expression Association (IFOD) said.
IFOD said the platform was blocked under a decision issued by the Kula Penal Court of Peace in the western province of Manisa. The access ban was based on a June 17, 2026, court ruling. No reason for the ban was immediately available.
FOREIGN POLICY
Turkish FM Fidan Received by Russian President Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin received Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on June 17 during a visit to Kazan. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and presidential aide Yury Ushakov also attended the meeting.
A transcript of the opening remarks released by the Kremlin quoted Putin as stating that ties between Moscow and Ankara are "developing steadily." Putin announced that contacts between the two nations have long moved beyond purely formal interactions and are now "truly friendly, constantly gaining new meaning," attributing much of this progress to the stance of Turkish President Erdogan.
In a statement on the social media platform X, Fidan announced that he held several meetings in Moscow and Kazan to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.
Referring to his meeting with Putin, Fidan stated that he conveyed messages from Erdogan, adding: "We had the opportunity to hear his assessments on regional issues."
Fidan noted that his talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other senior Russian officials focused on areas where the two countries could further expand cooperation and exchange views on regional developments.
MEE: Trump Agreed to Attend Nato Summit in Ankara to Please Erdogan
U.S. President Donald Trump told his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, last month that he would attend the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara simply to please the Turkish leader, according to several sources familiar with the phone call who spoke to Middle East Eye.
"Many European countries say that the fact that the meeting will be held in Turkey, hosted by our president, is the most important factor that made President Trump's participation in the summit possible," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters on June 18.
Fidan noted that both European and U.S. perspectives would be addressed during the summit, adding that the issues at stake could not be resolved without the U.S. president's attendance at the meetings.
Italy Completes SAMP/T Air Defense Deployment in Turkey
Italy completed the deployment of the SAMP/T air defense system in Turkey's central province of Konya on June 18, the Ministry of National Defense announced, describing the move as part of NATO's permanent defense plan to strengthen the alliance's air defenses. The SAMP/T is a next-generation medium- and long-range air and missile defense system jointly developed by Italy and France.
The ministry stated that Turkey was also working to develop domestic air defense systems, citing the changing threat environment.
According to the statement, the Turkish Air Forces' Siper air defense system conducted a test on June 12 in the northern province of Sinop and successfully destroyed the Super Lightning drone, a locally made unmanned aerial vehicle with high speed and maneuverability.
Italian Cabinet Approves Leonardo-Baykar Drone Venture With Security Conditions
Italy has approved a drone manufacturing joint venture between state-controlled defense group Leonardo and Turkey's Baykar, while imposing national security conditions that limit its sales and overseas expansion to countries politically aligned with Europe and NATO.
The Italian cabinet approved the 50-50 venture, named LBA Systems, at a meeting on June 16. Under the conditions, aircraft produced by the venture may be sold only to countries that Italy considers politically aligned with Europe and NATO. Any expansion of LBA Systems into other international markets will be subject to the same restrictions.
Judge Dismisses Criminal Case Against Halkbank
A federal judge in New York on June 17 dismissed the U.S. Justice Department's criminal case against Turkey's state-owned Halkbank after the U.S. administration reached an agreement with the lender, bringing to a close a prosecution that began in 2019.
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman, based in Manhattan, approved the dismissal during a hearing on June 17. Berman noted that he had granted the federal prosecutors' request to terminate the case.
"The criminal case against our bank, which has been ongoing in the United States for years, has been definitively and conclusively closed," Halkbank announced in a statement. Halkbank Chief Executive Recep Suleyman Ozdil stated that the bank expects its ability to secure foreign funding to improve following the resolution of the case.
Egypt Hosts Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for Regional Talks
Egypt hosted the fourth round of a quadrilateral foreign ministers meeting in Cairo on June 21. The meeting brought together Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Pakistani Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar to discuss the latest regional developments.
The quadrilateral meeting coincided with high-level negotiations in Switzerland between Washington and Tehran following the signing of a ceasefire deal.
German Intelligence Names Turkey Among Most Active Foreign Services in Berlin
Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), has identified Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) as one of the four most active foreign intelligence services operating in Berlin, according to a report released by the Berlin Senate's interior office.
The 140-page report named Russia, China, Iran and Turkey as the main countries conducting espionage activities targeting Germany.
The report added that the services of these countries employ a wide range of methods, including traditional espionage, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and acts of sabotage.
It also addressed developments related to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), noting that authorities had not observed any signs among PKK supporters in Berlin that the group had distanced itself from terrorism following its announcement that it was ending its armed struggle and dissolving.
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