President Donald Trump said that without his presidency, Turkey would have intervened in the war against Israel on Iran's side, and that he personally told President Erdogan to stay out. He added that Netanyahu and an unnamed organization are not friends. The remarks were reported by Israeli media.
President Donald Trump repeated and sharpened his claim that his personal intervention prevented Turkey from joining the war against Israel on Iran's side. In remarks reported earlier today, Trump said Turkey would have intervened 'if not for me as the American president,' and that he told President Recep Tayyip Erdogan not to intervene, a directive Erdogan honored. Trump also said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an unnamed organization are 'not friends at all.'
The statement continues a series of Trump comments on the Turkey-Israel front. Earlier Wednesday, Trump said Netanyahu had made 'bad things' about Turkey and praised Erdogan for staying out of the war — a remark that drew attention given the ongoing tensions between Israel and Turkey over regional alignments (The Zioneer, Wed 11:25 Jerusalem). Days earlier, Trump had stated that Turkey considered joining the war alongside Iran but that he asked Erdogan to stay out, while also calling Erdogan a 'great leader' and hinting at advancing an F-35 deal (The Zioneer, Thu Jun 25).
Turkey's role in the broader regional conflict has been a recurring theme in Trump's public commentary, with the president positioning himself as the key buffer preventing a Turkish military move against Israel. The remarks come against the backdrop of Israeli-Turkish diplomatic friction and Turkey's increasingly close ties with Iran. It remains unclear whether Trump's latest comments reflect any new coordination with Erdogan or are a reiteration of his longstanding position.
3 developments
- StrongTrump reveals Turkey considered joining Iran war, says he asked Erdogan to stay out
- StrongTrump: 'Turkey did not enter the war against Israel because of me'
- DevelopingTrump says he will speak with Turkey, calls Erdogan 'great'
- ConfirmedTrump on potential Israel-Turkey clash: 'Not going to happen while I'm president'
Source and signal
- Internal intake