President Donald Trump has dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to a potential sale of F-35 fighter jets to Türkiye, saying U.S. arms sales are decided by Washington alone. He also praised Türkiye as "a tremendous ally" and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as "a friend".
"Nobody tells me what we should be selling," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Trump also described Türkiye as "a tremendous ally" and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as "a friend" who, he said, had done a "very good job" dealing with thorny regional issues.
While acknowledging that Ankara is "not a big fan" of Israel and Netanyahu, Trump said relations between Washington and Ankara remain strong.
He also called Türkiye "a very powerful country" and described its armed forces as "tremendous".
The comments follow recent signals from Trump that he hopes to improve defence ties with Türkiye after years of strained relations over Ankara's purchase of the Russian-made S-400 air defence system.
At the recent NATO summit in The Hague, Trump said he would "certainly consider" selling F-35s to Türkiye, adding that the country had been "much more loyal than other countries."
In 2019, Türkiye was removed from the U.S.-led F-35 programme after buying the Russian S-400 system.
The United States also imposed sanctions on Türkiye's defence industry under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
Trump's latest remarks came days after Mehmet Demiroğlu, chief executive of Turkish Aerospace Industries, said Washington had approved the sale of U.S.-built F110 engines for Türkiye's KAAN advanced fighter jet programme.
Although U.S. officials have yet to confirm the reported approval, Congress recently greenlit the proposed sale of the engines, along with related equipment, during the statutory review period.
In a related development on Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Tom Barrack, Washington's ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria and Iraq, in Ankara.
Turkish diplomatic sources provided few details of the meeting.
However, in a subsequent social media post, Barrack said the talks had focused on "the strength of the U.S.-Türkiye partnership and our shared interests in advancing regional stability, security, and prosperity."
Washington, he added, "values Türkiye's partnership as we continue working together on the challenges and opportunities ahead."
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Iran said it was nearing a final pact with Oman defining new shipping lanes between them through the Strait of Hormuz but repeated that the U.S. must meet other conditions.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for Iran to pay compensation for decades of deaths and damage, adding a new demand to peace talks as Tehran seeks compensation and sanctions relief before reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
Iran will soon join the New Development Bank (NDB), the lender established by BRICS nations, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said in a state media report on Wednesday ahead of a BRICS finance meeting in India.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has outlined an expanded vision for the Zangezur Corridor, describing it not simply as a transport route connecting mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan exclave, but as a future platform for energy, telecommunications and wider regional integration.
Iran and Russia are seeking closer cooperation on arms control and Iran’s nuclear programme as the two countries deepen strategic ties amid heightened tensions with the U.S. and Israel.
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