President Donald Trump told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that he loves Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and that Erdogan does everything he asks of him, according to Israeli media. Trump added he asked Erdogan not to interfere in the war against Iran, and Erdogan complied.
President Donald Trump expressed warm personal regard for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, according to a report by N12. Trump said he loves Erdogan and described the Turkish leader as doing everything Trump asks of him. He specifically said he asked Erdogan not to interfere in the US-led military campaign against Iran, and that Erdogan complied.
The remarks come amid ongoing US airstrikes and diplomatic pressure on Tehran, with Trump previously saying Iran is "being very nice" and agreeing to all his demands. Erdogan, who spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on June 22 to congratulate him on the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, has positioned Turkey as a regional power broker. Trump's comments echo his earlier description of Erdogan as a "friend" and "great," as first reported by The Zioneer on June 10.
It remains unclear whether Erdogan's compliance on the Iran front represents a significant policy shift for Ankara, which has maintained close economic and diplomatic ties with Tehran. The claim is based on a single Israeli media report, with no on-record confirmation from Trump, Rutte, or Turkish officials.
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
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Internal intake