Turkey in July 2026: the most important developments in security
Turkey's security environment in July 2026 was shaped by the US-Iran confrontation next door. The United States launched new strikes on Iran on July 9, and Iran hit back. On July 15 President Trump threatened to attack Iranian power plants and bridges. US strikes continued for a 13th consecutive night by July 24, and on July 30 the United States launched a massive new wave of attacks. A later report said Trump switched planes in Turkey after the NATO summit because of a credible threat from Iranian proxies.
The main Turkish defence question was the F-35 fighter jet. After the NATO summit in Ankara, Erdogan said he hoped for a positive outcome on Turkey's bid to rejoin the programme, and Turkey was expected to receive six jets if Trump unblocked the sale. Turkey discussed disabling its Russian S-400 missile systems, and Moscow speculated about where they would go, with reports mentioning a trade for the jets or a sale to Gulf states. Israel voiced concern that Turkey could circumvent US restrictions, and the US Congress debated access. On July 24 and 25 the US State Department said Turkey did not yet meet the legal conditions for the sale. NATO announced a billion-dollar deal for surveillance planes at the summit, Egypt and Turkey began the joint exercise Golden Eagle, and Turkey was reported to be building its own Pentagon in Ankara. On July 27 a Turkish Akinci drone crashed in Yemen for the first time.
The Black Sea saw repeated attacks on shipping. A Chevron tanker carrying CPC oil was hit by a drone on July 8, Ukraine struck Russian tankers on July 15 while a Russian attack on Odesa hit a Turkish ship crewed by Azerbaijanis, and on July 20 attacks on merchant ships killed ten people. Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria expanded their mine countermeasure cooperation.
At home, police locked down Ankara before the summit and detained a human rights activist. A comedian was arrested at Istanbul airport after criticising Erdogan, and an opposition mayor was arrested near Istanbul on July 20. The justice minister warned of a renewed threat from the FETÖ network.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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