President Donald Trump said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could have fought alongside Iran because of his dislike for Israel, but Trump asked him not to — and Erdogan complied, according to Israeli media quoting Trump's remarks to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The statement, reported by Amichai Stein, adds new detail to Trump's account of his personal diplomacy with the Turkish leader amid the US-Iran war.
President Donald Trump told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could have chosen to fight alongside Iran in the US-Iran war because of his hostility toward Israel, but that Trump personally asked him not to — and Erdogan listened, according to a report by Amichai Stein that circulated on social media early Thursday morning (Jerusalem time).
The remark follows a similar Trump statement from Wednesday evening, in which Trump said he loves Erdogan and thanked him for staying out of the Iran war, as The Zioneer reported. In the earlier account, Trump said Erdogan 'does everything I ask of him,' but the new report specifies the request not to side with Iran, and the reason — Erdogan's dislike of Israel.
The Trump-Erdogan dynamic has become a recurring theme in Trump's public remarks during the final phase of the US campaign against Iran, with Trump consistently describing Erdogan in personal terms as cooperative and responsive to his requests. The claim has not been independently confirmed by Turkish or NATO sources, and it remains unclear whether Erdogan was ever actively considering military involvement on Iran's side.
4 developments
- DevelopingTrump says he loves Erdogan, praises Turkish leader for staying out of Iran war
- DevelopingTrump says he will speak with Turkey, calls Erdogan 'great'
- DevelopingTrump signals he will 'do something that makes Erdogan very happy' on arms sales to Turkey
- DevelopingTrump says he would call Erdoğan if he heard anti-Semitic remarks, calls him a 'friend'
Source and signal
- Internal intake