Ankara

Turkey eyes post-Iran Middle East as regional order shifts - analysis

It’s not clear whether Ankara is posing as a neutral power or seeking to portray itself as similar to most European and NATO powers that also remained outside the war.

MAY 31, 2026|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, meets with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Ankara, last April. Ankara is quietly assembling the architecture of permanent regional power, the writer says.

Turkish Court Rules To Remove Opposition Party Head ANKARA, TURKEY - MAY 22: Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel, speaks to the media at CHP headquarters on May 22, 2026, in Ankara, Turkey.

Ousted Turkish opposition leader draws massive anti-Erdogan crowd in Ankara

After addressing supporters - estimated in the tens of thousands - Ozel led a march through the capital following last week's ruling that removed him as leader of the main opposition CHP.

MAY 30, 2026|ByREUTERS

Supporters of ousted Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel react as riot police enter the party’s headquarters to evict its leadership after authorities ordered enforcement of a court ruling removing them from the building, in Ankara, Turkey, May 24, 2026.

Turkey lurches into political crisis with crackdown on opposition - analysis

Clashes erupted at CHP headquarters in Ankara after a court removed opposition leader Ozgur Ozel, raising fears of a deeper political crisis as Erdogan tightens his grip.

MAY 24, 2026|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Turkey’s strategy for long-term dominance in the Middle East - opinion

After Assad’s fall, Turkey is quietly building a new sphere of influence across Syria.

MAY 19, 2026|ByAMINE AYOUB

Global norms unraveled quietly, long before today’s conflicts - opinion

International law has been inconsistently applied for decades, predating today’s Middle East wars.

APRIL 29, 2026ByYONI MICHANIE

An Israeli flag hangs on a building in southern Lebanon as seen from the Israeli side of the border, April 17, 2026.

Turkey-Israel tensions deepen amid Erdogan’s confrontational policy - opinion

Ankara’s anti-Israel campaign under Erdogan signals a deeper strategic confrontation and rising Middle East tensions.

APRIL 20, 2026BySINAN CIDDI

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures outside the White House ahead of a meeting with US President Donald Trump, September 25, 2025.

'Turkey is the new Iran': The growing threat Erdogan poses to Israel - analysis

Middle East expert Yoni Ben Menachem warns that behind Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statements lies a structured plan to build a new Sunni axis that could replace Iran’s regional role.

APRIL 13, 2026ByMAARIV ONLINE, TOBIAS SIEGAL

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meets with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, September 1, 2025.

Turkey the new Iran? Ankara's growing challenge to Western interests - opinion

Turkey’s growing regional influence and ties to Hamas challenge NATO and US security.

APRIL 6, 2026BySINAN CIDDI, NATALIE ECANOW

Turkey's Ambassador to Syria, Nuh Yilmaz, presents credentials to President Sharaa in Damascus

Nuh Yilmaz, Turkey's new Ambassador to Syria, presents his credentials to President Sharaa, marking a significant step in bilateral relations.

MARCH 17, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Nuh Ylmaz talking to media at the EU Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 17, 2025; illustrative.

Israel’s 'Blue and White' Middle East reshapes power as Iran weakens, Turkey worries - opinion

At the center of this new map stands the State of Israel, no longer a nation in constant defense, but the central axis around which total regional stability is built.

MARCH 11, 2026By OFER INBAR

Iran and Israel flags on geopolitical map.

Pahlavi’s challenge: Will he overcome Kurdish distrust to lead a unified Iran? - opinion

Iran’s opposition struggles to unite as minority rights remain unresolved.

MARCH 2, 2026ByVEYSI DAG

Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah and an Iranian opposition figure, speaks during the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, February 13, 2026.

Trump’s Gaza gamble: Disarming Hamas must be a non-negotiable - opinion

The Board of Peace can’t succeed while Hamas remains militarized and continues to indoctrinate Gaza’s youth.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByERIC R. MANDEL

US President Donald Trump, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, Albania’s PM Edi Rama, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting, US Institute of Peace, Washington DC, February 2026

Turkey assesses regional risks in case of Iran-US conflict

NATO member Turkey, which shares a border with Iran to its east, has said it opposes any military intervention on Iran and does not want destabilization in the region.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByREUTERS

Turkish President and Leader of the Justice and Development (AK) Party, Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses to the party members during the AK Party Group Meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye in Ankara, Turkiye on February 25, 2026.

Turkish F-16 crashes during training flight in western Turkey, pilot killed

An F-16 crash in western Turkey led to the temporary closure of the Istanbul-Izmir highway as officials probed the cause of the incident.

FEBRUARY 25, 2026ByJAMES GENN