President Donald Trump said the United States will remove the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions on Turkey, which were imposed after Ankara purchased the Russian S-400 air defense system and had blocked the sale of U.S. fighter jets, Channel 12 reports.
President Donald Trump's statement Tuesday afternoon that the United States will lift CAATSA sanctions on Turkey marks the culmination of a rapid series of announcements from the administration, clearing the path for the sale of F-35 fighter jets. The statement, reported by N12 at 16:01 Jerusalem, explicitly links the sanctions removal to the resumption of fighter jet sales, following earlier reports that Trump had already told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the decision.
The Zioneer's coverage of the development unfolded in a series of updates at 16:01 Jerusalem. Initial reports (versions 1–3) quoted Trump saying he would consider selling F-35s to Turkey and calling Erdogan a 'wonderful leader.' Within the same minute, subsequent reports (versions 4–7) indicated Trump would lift all restrictions on Ankara and specifically remove the CAATSA sanctions. A report from N12's Asaf Rozentzweig (version 8) then cited Trump telling Erdogan there is 'no need to impose sanctions on a friend.' Shortly after, Turkish President Erdogan confirmed that the US had promised to sell five F-35 jets, as reported by Abu Ali Express (version 9). The Zioneer published a full article on Erdogan's confirmation at 16:19 Jerusalem.
The move follows weeks of signals from the Trump administration. As The Zioneer reported on June 25, Trump said he would likely approve the sale of F-35s and F-110 engines to Turkey, calling Ankara a 'strong' NATO member. In a July 7 analysis published earlier today, Dr. Doron Matza of the 301 platform assessed that Turkey is emerging as a significant strategic challenge for Israel, as the US under Trump shifts toward transactional policies.
The sanctions removal, while confirmed by Trump, still requires formal implementation. The administration is expected to face scrutiny from Congress, which has long opposed Turkey's readmission to the F-35 program over its acquisition of the Russian S-400 system. The exact number of jets and delivery timeline have not been specified.
8 developments
- StrongTrump expected to support F-35 sale to Turkey during Ankara visit, report says
- StrongTrump says he will likely approve F-35 and engine sale to Turkey
- DevelopingTrump plans to restore Turkey's F-35 access during NATO summit, reports say
- StrongTrump: US committed to spare parts for Turkey's F-35s; Erdogan says five jets promised
Source and signal
- Internal intake