ANALYSIS
"Collateral Metal: How Turkey's Gold Reserve Became a Wartime Source of Dollars" by Arman Sidhu, The Institute for Diplomacy and Economy
Turkey's official gold functions as an emergency source of dollars. The March operation also showed the cost of that approach for everyone else. Turkey's sales and swaps exceeded the combined selling by every gold investment fund in the world over the same two weeks, and gold prices fell as much as 16 percent during March. A single mid-sized central bank was able to move the global price of gold. Traders now watch the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey's weekly reserves data as an indicator of stress across the region.
The open question is whether the same operation works with less cash in reserve and oil back above $100. The Turkish central bank has rebuilt the collateral within six months. But the dollar reserves, the disinflation path, and above all the external confidence Ankara's swaps depend on may take much longer.
"Saudi Arabia's Houthi crisis tests alliances with Trump, Turkey and Pakistan" by Amberin Zaman, Al-Monitor
The dizzying developments in Yemen are putting the bold assertions made by the Turkish and Pakistani foreign ministers to their first real test. Pakistan has already said it has no plans to join the air campaign against the Houthis. Turkey has said nothing beyond calling for an end to the hostilities.
In any case, neither Pakistan nor Turkey has an immediate and vital stake in Yemen, whereas for Saudi Arabia keeping Bab al-Mandeb open "has become a matter of economic survival," one official said. "And the fact that MBS has asked Trump to take the lead shows that the Mecca pact was never seen as a substitute for America to begin with," the official added, referring to the crown prince by his initials.
"Gulf states hedge their bet on Washington" by Bob Savic, Geopolitical Intelligence Services
Gulf states have turned to Turkiye more broadly, with its advanced drone technology and potent military industrial base, to fill the void left by perceived American hesitancy or inability in defending the region. Accordingly, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have agreed significant defense cooperation agreements with Ankara, including joint production of unmanned aerial vehicles and electronic warfare systems. Turkiye’s role in defense tech also extends to fintech, health-tech and agricultural technology, where Turkish start-ups are leveraging cultural affinities to gain footholds in Gulf markets.
They calibrate their partnerships through temporal segmentation: granting the U.S. enduring security primacy while awarding China the lion’s share of future-oriented economic contracts, and simultaneously cultivating India and Turkiye as counterweights to both. Rather than provoking a zero-sum great-power response, this strategy often compels rival powers to compete for Gulf favor, effectively raising the price of their patronage.
"The Aegean’s new arms race isn’t about weapons anymore" by Jasim Al-Azzawi, Middle East Monitor
Israel gains European strategic depth. Greece gains industrial capacity and deterrence. Turkey accelerates its indigenous program. Iran recalibrates its coercive toolkit for a battlespace that no longer rewards saturation the way it once did.
None of these actors describe this as an arms race. But an arms race rarely announces itself. It simply accumulates, contract by contract, radar by radar, until the region wakes up to find its skies far more crowded, far more automated, and far less forgiving than before.
POLITICS
Turkey Court Sentences Jailed Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu to More Than Two Years
A Turkish court on September 11 sentenced jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu to more than two years in prison for allegedly insulting the former Justice and Development Party (AKP) mayor of Istanbul's Tuzla district, and imposed a potential political ban.
The sentence and political ban would take effect if the conviction survives an appeal or otherwise becomes final.
Imamoglu had secured two acquittals in the case. An appeals court later overturned the second acquittal on procedural grounds and ordered a retrial.
In his defense, Imamoglu denied insulting the former Tuzla mayor, saying prosecutors had taken his remarks out of context. After the verdict, Imamoglu rejected the ruling as invalid. “Appointed judges cannot decide my fate,” he reportedly said as he left the courtroom.
Kilicdaroglu Says Imamoglu is Not a Political Prisoner
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who returned as leader of Turkey's Republican People's Party (CHP) following a court ruling, said on September 8 that jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was not a political prisoner. "He is not a political prisoner. He was not jailed because of his political views," Kilicdaroglu said in an interview with Euronews Turkish.
Kilicdaroglu said Imamoglu's presidential candidacy should be considered separately from the criminal cases against him. He stated that public officials should remain ready to account for their actions and every penny spent under their supervision.
Kilicdaroglu nonetheless opposed Imamoğlu's pretrial detention and said the mayor should have remained in office while facing trial.
Kilicdaroglu also left the door open to cooperation with Imamoğlu if legal barriers to his presidential candidacy were removed. He said opposition parties would need to work together to win an election, asking: "How will you get 51 percent? By cooperating. How will you get it without cooperation?
Kilicdaroglu said he had instructed CHP provincial leaders not to criticize or quarrel with the New Party, founded by ousted CHP leader Ozgur Ozel. He acknowledged that the split had weakened the CHP but argued that its core voter base had remained with the party.
Imamoglu's wife, Dilek Imamoglu, responded to Kilicdaroglu's comments by describing her husband as a "political hostage" and saying he had spent 18 months deprived of his freedom.
Imamoglu himself later rejected Kilicdaroglu's characterization, saying he considered himself a political prisoner and a "political captive" in connection with what he described as his struggle for democracy and justice.
Ankara Mayor Yavas Denies Political Motive Behind Meeting with Erdogan
Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavas met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the presidential palace in Ankara on September 9 in a closed-door meeting announced by the presidency and Yavas, who shared a photograph of himself with Erdoğan.
In an initial statement on X, Yavas said they discussed metro investments, ongoing projects and future municipal work. He thanked Erdogan for supporting projects in the capital and for his role in bringing the NATO summit to Ankara in July.
The meeting prompted speculation that Yavas could leave the Republican People's Party (CHP) or move closer to Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party).
Yavas rejected the claims in a detailed statement on September 10, saying he had requested the meeting after greeting Erdogan at an airport while returning from Ahlat.
Yavas said they discussed no political issues and that both Kemal Kilicdaroglu and New Party leader Ozgur Ozel knew about the meeting in advance. He said Ankara's municipal projects were the meeting's sole focus and argued that its clear purpose and content should not invite political interpretations.
He also said the central government must support and approve some major municipal investments under Turkey's presidential system, adding that he would meet with Erdogan whenever necessary to resolve problems facing Ankara and advance projects for the city's residents.
Ruling Party Regains Control of Istanbul’s Uskudar Municipality After Council Vote
Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) regained control of Istanbul’s Uskudar Municipality, a traditionally conservative district on İstanbul’s Asian side and home to President Erdogan’s private residence, on September 8 after its candidate, Dundar Ziya Gultekin, won a renewed city council vote held following the jailing and suspension of the elected mayor.
Gultekin won the acting mayor’s post with 23 votes in the fourth round, defeating CHP candidate Sibel Tan Cetinkaya, who received 19 votes.
The council had elected Cetinkaya as acting mayor on August 5 with 22 votes, compared with 18 for Gultekin. Following an AK Party challenge, the Istanbul 2nd Administrative Court suspended the implementation of the council’s decision. A regional administrative court rejected an appeal against the suspension on September 2.
The council's political balance changed before the new vote. Four council members elected on CHP tickets joined the ruling party, while two opposition council members were jailed.
New Party spokesperson Zeynel Emre denounced the outcome, alleging that government officials and members of the judiciary had pressured council members. “This is theft,” Emre said. “A municipality has been stolen. The will of the people has been stolen.”
Nacho Sanchez Amor, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, described the developments as a “mockery of democracy” in a post on X. “The whole system was perverted in order to win what was lost at the ballot box. It took arrests, defections, threats & today’s 4 rounds of voting. It’s a blatant power grab,” he said.
Erdogan Signals Turkey's Next Elections Are Approaching
President Erdogan has for the first time described Turkey’s next elections as “approaching,” fueling speculation that the country could hold a vote before the scheduled date of May 14, 2028.
“I renew my belief that, with this unity and solidarity, we will successfully get through the approaching elections,” Erdogan told supporters in his hometown of Guneysu in northeastern Turkey on September 10. He did not give a date or explicitly call for early elections.
Main opposition New Party leader Ozgur Ozel responded on September 11, arguing that elections should not be viewed as a crisis that political leaders need to “get through.” “He will not get through this election; the nation will change the government in this election,” Ozel said.
Turkish Opposition Leader Ordered to Pay Erdogan TL 800,000 in Damages
A Turkish court on September 10 ordered New Party leader Ozgur Ozel to pay President Erdogan TL 800,000 ($16,500) in damages over remarks he made in three speeches in August 2025, when he served as chairman of the Republican People's Party (CHP).
Erdogan's lawyer, Huseyin Aydin, announced the rulings on X, saying the Ankara 44th Civil Court of First Instance awarded damages over what he described as "baseless allegations and insulting remarks" directed at the president.
Former Turkish PM Defends Remarks After Questioning Over Alleged Insult to Erdogan
Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on September 7 that he stood by remarks he made five years ago after prosecutors in Ankara questioned him on suspicion of insulting President Erdogan.
Davutoglu arrived at the Ankara Courthouse accompanied by Ali Babacan, leader of the Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA), and Mahmut Arikan, chairman of the Felicity Party (SP).
Speaking outside the courthouse after giving his statement to prosecutors, Davutoglu said this marked the first time in the history of the Turkish Republic that a former prime minister had been summoned to court as a suspect for expressing his views or criticizing the government.
In his statement, Davutoglu argued that the investigation was politically motivated rather than based on legal grounds and requested a decision of non-prosecution. He defended his remarks, saying: "I did not insult; I demanded accountability. I did not demean; I criticized. I did not commit a crime; I exercised my constitutional right."
Report: House Built for PKK Leader Ocalan on Imrali Island
Journalist Nagehan Alci said MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli told her that authorities had built a house on Imrali Island for jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. According to Alci, Bahceli said the house has two floors, with the ground floor designed as a workspace containing a study and an office and the upper floor intended as living quarters.
Alci said Bahceli told her that Ocalan has so far declined to move into the house because he wants to obtain a formal status. “He wants to move into that house only after committees have been formed and begun their work, and after he himself has started serving on those committees,” Bahceli reportedly said.
Former AK Party lawmaker Samil Tayyar separately described the property in a post on X as the “house with a garden”. Tayyar said the building is a duplex villa with 250 square meters of indoor space and serves both as a residence and a work office.
Tayyar said the villa has the technical infrastructure Ocalan needs for his work, including video conferencing and internet access. He added that Ocalan has not moved into the property but uses its office facilities when necessary.
Tayyar further claimed that Ocalan's demand for a formal status has so far faced opposition from President Erdogan. According to Tayyar, Erdogan does not want to take any steps on Ocalan's status until the PKK completes its disarmament.
MetroPOLL Survey Shows Public Skepticism Over PKK Disarmament
A recent MetroPOLL survey shows that the political consensus over the PKK's disarmament has yet to translate into broad public confidence, with nearly 70 percent of respondents expressing doubts that the group will honor its pledge to lay down its arms.
The “Pulse of Turkey” survey, conducted between August 19 and 25, 2026, found that 58 percent of respondents consider it highly likely that the PKK will resume armed activities under different names in the coming years.
The survey also found widespread skepticism over whether disarmament would make people feel safer. Only 42 percent said they would feel safer if the PKK completely disarmed, while 54.2 percent said they would not feel safer even after a full disarmament.
Concerns extend beyond opposition voters. Among ruling AK Party voters, 37.6 percent said they would not feel safer following a complete PKK disarmament, while the figure stood at 44.9 percent among MHP voters. Even among DEM Party voters, 37.9 percent said they would not feel safer if the PKK fully laid down its arms.
The findings point to a significant gap between the political leadership's efforts to advance the disarmament process and public expectations about whether it will produce lasting security.
Apple Warns Turkish Ministers of Possible Mercenary Spyware Attacks
Apple has notified at least three Turkish ministers that their phones may have been targeted in mercenary spyware attacks, sources familiar with the matter told Middle East Eye.
A Turkish official told MEE that authorities believe the attempts to compromise the ministers' phones failed. The official declined to identify the ministers.
Following Apple's notifications, Turkey's newly established Presidency of Cyber Security examined the phones, replaced the devices and introduced additional safeguards, the official said.
Sources in Ankara suspect that a wide range of political and economic interest groups could have been behind the attacks. However, identifying those responsible remains extremely difficult, the report said.
ECONOMY
Turkish Central Bank Keeps Policy Rate at 37% for Fifth Consecutive Meeting
Turkish central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 37% on September 10, marking the fifth consecutive meeting at which it has maintained the rate after cutting it by 100 basis points, from 38% to 37%, in January.
The Monetary Policy Committee, led by Governor Fatih Karahan, left the one-week repo auction rate at 37%. It also kept the overnight lending rate at 40% and the overnight borrowing rate at 35.5%.
The central bank said recent data indicated a decline in underlying inflation and continued weakness in domestic demand. It warned, however, that higher energy prices stemming from geopolitical developments had increased risks to the inflation outlook.
Turkey's Net Foreign Direct Investment Turns Negative for First Time Since 2000
Turkey's annualized net foreign direct investment has turned negative for the first time since 2000, according to Prof. Hakan Kara, a former chief economist at the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey. Kara highlighted the development in a social media post featuring a graph based on Central Bank data. “Annual net foreign direct investment has turned negative for the first time since 2000,” he said.
A negative net foreign direct investment figure means that direct investment flowing from Turkey to other countries exceeds direct investment entering the country during the period in question.
According to the graph, Turkey's net foreign direct investment peaked at more than $26 billion around 2007. The figure then followed a volatile but broadly declining trajectory, weakened sharply after 2020 and eventually fell below zero in the latest data.
Turkey Defense Budget Set to Surge 86% in 2027 Amid Eurofighter Purchase
Turkey has set a 2027 budget allocation ceiling of 1.53 trillion liras ($31.65 billion) for the Ministry of National Defense under the 2027–2029 Medium-Term Program (MTP), a sharp increase from this year’s budget.
According to the daily Cumhuriyet, the ministry’s allocation ceiling will account for 6.1 percent of the total budget earmarked for public institutions under the general budget. The ministry received 822 billion liras in 2026, meaning its allocation ceiling will rise by about 86 percent next year.
The ministry plans to allocate 936 billion liras of the 2027 ceiling to the purchase of goods and services, while personnel expenses will account for 501 billion liras.
The sharp increase in procurement spending has drawn attention because the category accounted for less than personnel expenses in the ministry’s 2026 budget. Analysts have linked the higher procurement allocation to Turkey’s planned purchase of Eurofighter fighter jets.
Turkey agreed with the United Kingdom last year to purchase 20 Eurofighter jets in a deal worth about 5.4 billion pounds ($7.2 billion), or roughly 350 billion liras at the time.
However, the ministry’s budget projections do not appear to reflect the 229 percent increase in defense spending Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz cited during the MTP presentation. Yilmaz said, “We are increasing our defense expenditures by 229 percent,” but the ministry’s one-year and three-year budget projections do not show an increase of that magnitude.
His figure included the Defense Industry Support Fund, which receives financing from public taxes and reached hundreds of billions of liras in 2024, the report said. The government has not disclosed updated figures for the fund to the public since then.
Turkey, Russia Sign Fertilizer Supply Pact to Strengthen Access to Raw Materials
Turkey and Russia have signed an agreement on mineral fertilizer shipments aimed at strengthening Turkey's access to fertilizers and related raw materials, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said on September 8.
"We are increasing the diversity of our sources against potential risks to fertilizer supplies caused by wars and conflicts in our region," Yumakli said. He said the memorandum of understanding with Russia would further secure Turkey's supply of fertilizers and fertilizer raw materials.
The agreement would also support agricultural production and help ensure the uninterrupted supply of agricultural products to the market, Yumakli added.
Turkish Airlines to Become Liverpool's Shirt Sponsor From 2027-28 Season
Turkish Airlines will become Liverpool's new shirt sponsor from the start of the 2027-28 season, the English Premier League club announced on September 8.
Turkish Airlines said the partnership with Liverpool will begin on June 1, 2027, with its logo appearing on the shirts of the club's men's, women's and academy teams.
Liverpool or Turkish Airlines did not disclose the financial terms of the agreement, but the BBC reported that the five-year deal was worth £300 million.
HUMAN RIGHTS
EU+ Asylum Applications Fall 17% in First Half of 2026
EU+ countries received approximately 332,000 asylum applications in the first half of 2026, a 17 percent decline from the same period last year, according to the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA).
The agency published its 2026 Mid-Year Review of the Latest Asylum Trends on September 10, outlining a broad decline in asylum applications across the EU+ during the first six months of the year.
France received the most applications, with 69,000, accounting for roughly one-fifth of the EU+ total. Italy followed with 66,000 applications, while Spain and Germany each recorded 55,000.
Afghans formed the largest applicant group, submitting 39,000 international protection requests. Venezuelans ranked second with 33,000 applications, followed by Bangladeshis with 20,000.
Turkish nationals submitted around 12,000 asylum applications during the period, marking a 30 percent decline from a year earlier.
Despite the decline in applications from Turkey, Turkish nationals recorded a significantly higher first-instance recognition rate than applicants from other nationalities. The recognition rate for applicants excluding Turkish nationals remained below 5 percent, while authorities granted protection in 18 percent of cases involving Turkish citizens.
Germany received the largest share of applications from Turkish nationals, accounting for 40 percent of the total, followed by France with 25 percent.
Turkey Recorded More Than 1,800 Torture Cases, Rights Group Says
At least 1,842 people faced torture or ill-treatment, and 6,719 people experienced arbitrary detention in Turkey in 2025, according to the Human Rights Association's (İHD) 2025 Human Rights Violations Report.
The report said police interventions at demonstrations accounted for most reported cases of torture or ill-treatment, affecting 1,493 people. It also documented similar treatment of 185 inmates in prisons.
The İHD documented 20 suspicious deaths in detention facilities, including 16 in prisons. Two sick prisoners also died in hospitals while receiving medical treatment, the report said.
The report also recorded the killing of 299 women and 64 children by men during the year, while the deaths of another 471 were recorded as suspicious.
The İHD said authorities arbitrarily detained 6,719 people and jailed 1,328 people pending trial in 2025.
Authorities also imposed widespread restrictions on freedom of assembly, preventing 306 demonstrations and public gatherings and intervening in another 268, the report said. Police detained 8,477 people in connection with demonstrations, while courts jailed 1,112 people pending trial and placed another 1,625 under judicial supervision.
Prosecutors filed 9,348 cases against 8,005 people in 2025 under laws criminalizing insults against the president, state symbols and state institutions. Courts convicted 1,923 defendants under those provisions and deferred the announcement of verdicts for another 2,127.
The association said its figures cover only cases that became public or reached its offices, warning that the actual scale of human rights violations in Turkey is likely higher.
Turkey Police, Gendarmerie Review More Than 600,000 Social Media Accounts in 2025
Turkey's police and gendarmerie reviewed more than 600,000 social media accounts in 2025 and identified more than 210,000 users for referral or further action, the BirGun daily reported.
Authorities monitored social media posts for suspected terrorist propaganda, the promotion or facilitation of illegal drug sales, public incitement to hatred or hostility, and alleged insults against President Erdogan and Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.
The National Police Department reviewed 257,481 accounts as part of its “virtual patrol” operations. Police identified the users behind 162,298 accounts and referred them to judicial authorities.
The monitoring resulted in the detention of 8,471 people. Courts ordered the arrest of 496 of them pending trial, while authorities placed 1,360 under judicial supervision. Officials released the remaining 6,615 without judicial control measures, according to the report.
Turkey Detains 20 in Raids Targeting Alleged Gulen Movement Network
Turkish police have detained 20 people in raids across six provinces over alleged links to the Gulen movement. Police carried out the operation at 21 locations, coordinated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, as part of an investigation into what Turkish authorities describe as the movement’s covert network within the police force.
Those detained include five serving civil servants, three former public employees dismissed from their posts and 12 private-sector workers.
Turkey Bans Public Academics from Monetizing Digital Content
Turkey has barred civil servants and academics at public universities from earning income by producing content for YouTube, social media platforms, websites and mobile applications, according to a decision communicated to the Council of Higher Education (YÖK).
The General Secretariat of the Presidency sent a letter to YÖK informing the council that public-sector employees cannot generate income through digital content production. The authorities classified such activities as “engaging in trade,” which public employees cannot undertake under regulations governing civil servants.
The decision followed an assessment the Revenue Administration prepared at the authorities' request.
The measure has affected academics who operate YouTube channels and other digital platforms. Following the decision, many academics have suspended their YouTube activities.
FOREIGN POLICY
Foreign Residents in Turkey Near Historic Peak After Two-Year Decline
The number of foreigners holding valid residence permits in Turkey has rebounded toward its historic peak, reversing a two-year decline, according to data from the Presidency of Migration Management.
As of September 3, 2026, 1,276,758 foreigners held valid residence permits in Turkey, according to the latest figures published by the Presidency of Migration Management. The number has already surpassed the 1,151,969 recorded for all of 2025 by 124,789, or about 10.8 percent.
The latest figure also stands just 77,336 below the record 1,354,094 residence permit holders recorded in 2022, meaning the 2026 total has already reached about 94.3 percent of the previous peak. If the current pace continues, 2026 is on course to set a new record for foreigners holding residence permits in Turkey.
Short-term residence permits accounted for 453,027 holders in 2026, while 427,795 foreigners fell under the broader “other” category, which includes permits issued on grounds such as property ownership and other legal bases.
Turkmen citizens made up the largest group of foreign residence permit holders, with 206,750, followed by Azerbaijani citizens with 98,235 and Syrians with 87,321. Citizens of Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Egypt made up the top 10 nationalities among residence permit holders.
The figures do not include Syrians who fled the civil war and remain in Turkey under temporary protection.
Fidan Meets Syrian Counterpart in Damascus to Discuss Bilateral Ties
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani in Damascus on September 13 for talks on bilateral relations and regional developments, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
The two ministers discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between Syria and Turkey and activate the Joint High Committee as an institutional framework for closer coordination, according to the report.
Fidan and al-Shaibani later held a joint press conference following their meeting. Fidan said Turkish President Erdogan would visit Damascus soon, according to SANA.
Syrian Kurdish Leader Says Officials Maintain High-Level Channels with Turkey
Syrian Kurdish political leader and senior Syrian Democratic Council figure Ilham Ahmed said in three separate interviews published by Serbestiyet that Syrian Kurdish officials have maintained high-level channels with Turkey's security establishment.
Representatives of the Syrian Kurdish administration and Turkish security officials have exchanged messages about developments in Syria for years, Ahmed said. She added that Syrian Kurdish officials have no channel with the Turkish Foreign Ministry and want direct talks rather than public exchanges.
Ahmed called for direct political talks with Ankara and said she hoped to visit Turkey with former Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. She said they also wanted to meet Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), on Imrali prison island.
Ahmed also urged Turkey to remove her and other Syrian Kurdish figures from its terrorism lists.
Turkey, Iraq and KRG Discuss Plan for PKK Members to Vacate Northern Iraq Sites
Officials from Turkey, Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are meeting in Erbil over a plan for around 4,200 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to lay down their arms and leave 18 sites in northern Iraq this month, Iraqi news outlet Al Aalem Al Jadid reported on September 8.
A joint group comprising Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Iraq's National Security Service and the Kurdistan Region Security Council has held daily talks in Erbil, the newspaper reported, citing informed sources.
The first stage of the plan does not include PKK positions on Mount Qandil, where the group's main command is based. The parties have selected handover points in the provinces of Duhok, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah but have yet to agree on which side will take custody of the weapons.
MIT teams are expected to inspect the vacated sites for PKK members, weapons, ammunition and explosives, the report added.
US Sanctions Three Turkish Companies Over Alleged Support for Iran's Mahan Air
The United States on September 8 sanctioned three Turkey-based companies, accusing them of helping Iran's Mahan Air acquire US-origin aircraft and transport drone components and other cargo.
Mahan Air has faced US counterterrorism sanctions since 2011 over Washington's allegations that the airline provided financial, material and technical support to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF).
The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added Sky Phoenix Airways, S Sistem Logistics and MES Cargo to its sanctions list. OFAC records show that Sky Phoenix is registered in Izmir, while S Sistem and MES Kargo operate out of Istanbul.
The designations block any property belonging to the companies that falls within US jurisdiction and prohibit most transactions involving the firms under US jurisdiction.
OFAC also announced new sanctions on September 10 against entities and individuals in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Turkey that Washington said supported Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group under the command of the IRGC, and Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite political and military organization.
Israel Appoints New Head of Mission to Turkey
Israel has appointed a new head of mission to Turkey despite its embassy in Ankara remaining effectively closed over security concerns, an Israeli official told Middle East Eye on September 9.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry selected Joel Lion as charge d'affaires. Lion's appointment follows the retirement of Israeli Ambassador Irit Lillian earlier this year, which left the ambassadorial post in Turkey vacant.
Lion was in Ankara on September 9 to present his credentials to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the report said.
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