Politics
Iranians seek temporary refuge in neighboring Türkiye
Escalating conflict between Israel and Iran raises concerns for Türkiye, the northwestern neighbor of the latter. Another angle of the tensions is the potential flow of refugees from there.
After crossing into Türkiye from Iran on Monday, Shirin Talebi was anxiously waiting for her children and grandchildren to arrive from Tehran at the same border point. The family are planning to stay for a month or two in Türkiye, seeking temporary refuge from the escalating conflict.
Observers in Türkiye say the arrivals have increased since Israel on Friday launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program and military officials. However, Turkish officials dismiss social media reports of a large-scale influx of refugees.
Türkiye, which shares a 569-kilometer-long (348-mile-long) border with Iran, has expressed deep concern over the escalating Iran-Israel exchanges. There are fears in Türkiye that a prolonged conflict could threaten Türkiye’s own security, cause energy disruptions and lead to refugee flows.
“I’m here because of safety. They are bombing. My children have small children of their own,” said Talebi, speaking at the Gürbulak-Bazargan crossing after arriving from the Iranian city of Urmia.
“Hopefully, it is over in one or two months so we can return to our country,” she said.
Iran has retaliated to Israel’s barrages by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel and the conflict is now in its fourth day.
In telephone calls with U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has offered to act as a “facilitator” toward ending the conflict and resuming U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, which were called off on Sunday.
In a televised address following a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Erdoğan warned Israel that it was putting its own future at risk with its military actions. Iran’s nuclear program should be dealt with through negotiations, he said.
“We have argued from the very beginning” for negotiations, Erdoğan said. “Today, we are at the same point.”
He also slammed the West and Israeli actions in Gaza.
“Israel, which attacks Iran with the unlimited support from the West, destroys Gaza, and bullies every country in the region, is not aware of what it is doing,” Erdoğan said. “Perhaps it will realize its mistake in the future, but we are afraid that by then it will be too late.”
Türkiye has not provided any official figures for arrivals from Iran, with the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications saying “there is no unusual movement, congestion or irregular crossings.”
The country allows Iranians to enter the country without a visa for tourism purposes and stay for up to 90 days.
At Gürbulak, one of the busiest crossings between Türkiye and Iran, bus driver Ferit Aktaş had just brought a group of Iranians from Istanbul and was waiting to pick up others. He said 10 days ago, three to five Iranians would arrive for shopping or tourism.
Now, “there are at least 30 Iranians in my vehicle per day,” he said. “They say, ‘We are not safe there and we are forced to come.’ Most of them want to go to Europe, they want to go to Europe through Türkiye.”
Mejid Dehimi, also from Urmia, arrived for a weeklong break Monday, not to escape the conflict, he said and expressed support for Iranian leaders.
“We are not afraid of death,” he said. “We will stand against Israel until our last breath and for as long as our lives allow.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday said that the spiral of violence triggered by Israel’s attacks could harm the region and Europe in terms of migration and the possibility of nuclear leakage.
In a phone call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Erdoğan said that nuclear disputes with Iran should be resolved via talks and warned that Israel’s attack has severely heightened threats to regional security, according to the Turkish Presidency’s Directorate of Communications.
“Our President also warned that the spiral of violence triggered by Israel’s attacks could negatively impact both the region and Europe, particularly in terms of potential migration waves and nuclear fallout,” the directorate said on X.
Erdoğan said the conflict, which began with Israel’s attack on Iran, has raised the threat to regional security to the highest level, he said.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral relations as well as regional issues, it added.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas hailed Türkiye’s role in diplomacy and said the country was a “security player” for the bloc.
“When it comes to the role of Türkiye, Istanbul has been where many meetings take place. Therefore, everybody is grateful that Türkiye is also offering this mediation,” Kaja Kallas told reporters, in response to a question about ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Kallas said the EU’s recent decisions on security and defense have unlocked significant funding, with over 800 billion euros ($918 billion) available to support joint procurement and defense projects.
She stressed that these instruments, including the SAFE loan mechanism, are not protectionist and can also be used in cooperation with partner countries such as Türkiye.
“Now Türkiye, as a candidate country, also has access to SAFE loans, for example, for joint projects with European countries,” she said, adding that these tools aim to strengthen Europe’s defense industry while fostering collaboration beyond the bloc.
Last month, EU countries adopted a regulation setting up SAFE, a new financial instrument designed to support member states that wish to invest in defense industrial production through common procurement, focusing on priority capabilities.
Under the approved part of the regulation, joint defense procurement of the bloc may include third countries not members of the EU, such as Türkiye.
Europe aims to reinforce its defenses as the U.S. reconsiders its generous support to the continent’s defense since World War II and the perceived threat from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Türkiye is eager to contribute to Europe’s security architecture, although the bloc stalled its accession for years.
In the Middle East, she expressed concern over rising tensions, particularly attacks on nuclear sites and fears of wider conflict. She said the EU supports diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation and manage risks related to Iran and regional instability.
“This war in the Middle East is extremely concerning. The risks of miscalculation are very high, so we try to bring the tensions down,” she said.
Türkiye has stepped up measures to protect its airspace and land borders with the start of Israeli airstrikes in Iran, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
“At a time when diplomatic negotiations continue to resolve the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, Israel has once again jeopardized global and regional peace and attacked our neighbor Iran in violation of international law,” the ministry sources told reporters at a weekly press briefing in Ankara.
The sources said reports of Israeli jets violating Turkish airspace during the first day of the airstrikes on Iran are inaccurate, emphasizing that from the outset, all air movements were closely monitored.
Upon the possibility of a potential airspace violation by Israeli jets, alert aircraft took off and began air patrol missions within Turkish airspace, the sources added.
They stressed that with the start of Israel’s airstrikes, measures to protect “our airspace and borders have been intensified.”
The sources condemned Israel’s aggressive policies toward Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran, which they warned were “disrupting the fragile balances in the region.”
Türkiye continues to call on Israel to “immediately abandon rhetoric and attacks that will further expand the course of the war,” the sources said.
Border security
They also said efforts to maintain Türkiye’s air and missile defense as a multilayered and comprehensive system are ongoing.
In addition to domestic radar and air defense systems, work continues to strengthen command and control capabilities. Measures are in place to ensure air defense units and weapon systems remain at the highest level of readiness, the sources added.
Stating that the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are on duty 24/7 with top-level technology and personnel to secure Türkiye’s borders, the sources emphasized that there is no uncontrolled migration movement, that the claims are disinformation and that there is no data or official confirmation of any mass migration to the country.
Türkiye’s capacity to ensure border security and respond to potential humanitarian crises is maintained at the highest level in coordination with relevant state institutions, the ministry sources stressed.
“Türkiye acts in a controlled and orderly manner as a country that supports regional stability and fulfills its humanitarian responsibilities,” the sources added.
Also speaking to reporters, ministry spokesperson Zeki Aktürk confirmed there has been no rise in illegal border crossings following Israel-Iran clashes.
The Turkish Armed Forces will continue to take all necessary security measures proactively against possible migration movements, Akturk said.
He condemned Israel’s attacks on Iran and said Israel’s “aggression, which entirely negates international law, blatantly demonstrates its intention to further spread the conflict.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly warned of regional repercussions of Israel’s war with Iran and assured Ankara was engaged in diplomatic efforts to stop Israel’s attacks in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iran.
All our institutions are on alert regarding the possible effects of these attacks on Türkiye,” Erdoğan assured Wednesday, speaking at a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Ankara.
It is entirely “natural, legitimate and lawful” for Iran to defend itself against Israel’s “banditry and state terrorism,” Erdoğan said.
On June 13, Israel launched large-scale attacks targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities across several cities, as well as high-ranking military command centers. At least 585 people were killed and 1,326 people were injured in Israeli airstrikes in Tehran and other populated areas. In retaliation, Iran’s military launched ballistic missiles at Israel, killing 24 people and wounding over 500, according to reports. Numerous countries, including Türkiye, have condemned Israel’s actions.
Since a new round of the Palestine-Israel conflict erupted in 2023, Türkiye has been on alert, and Erdoğan had warned that Israel may set its sights on Türkiye in the future, citing the Netanyahu administration’s expansionist goals. Over time, Israel has launched attacks in Lebanon and Syria and hurled veiled threats toward Türkiye, calling on Ankara not to side with Palestinians.
A Turkish court on Thursday acquitted a group of youths who assaulted U.S. servicemen late last year in the western Izmir province, while one of them was fined TL 10,000 ($252) for “bodily harm.”
Fifteen members of the Turkish Youth Union (TGB), an anti-American group linked to a political party, attacked two American servicemen, part of the crew of USS Wasp, an American amphibious assault ship docked in Izmir on Sept. 1, 2024. The incident was captured on camera by the TGB, which is known for similar attacks on U.S. soldiers in the past.
The servicemen had been in civilian clothes, and five other U.S. soldiers nearby tried to intervene in the incident. Security forces stopped the assailants, and the suspects were all detained and charged with “depriving a person of their freedom by coercion, threat or trickery.” All were tried without serving jail time.
At the final hearing on Thursday, the suspects’ lawyer Bülent Karagöz argued the incident was “not meant to deprive a person of their freedom but a protest.”
“They used their institutional rights to protest. It was not an illegal demonstration or a meeting,” he told the court.
Fourteen suspects were acquitted of the charges while TGB Chair Kayahan Çetin was handed a monetary fine, but the final ruling was adjourned.
The TGB claimed the video with a video on its X account in which several people are seen forcing a bag over the head of a person dressed in civilian clothes as the attackers chant: “Yankee go home!” in English. “American soldiers who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot defile our country,” the TGB said.
The bag over the head referred to an incident from the 2003 Iraq war when U.S. forces in northern Iraq arrested a group of Turkish soldiers, forced hoods over their heads and held them for three days. The incident outraged many in Türkiye.
The TGB is affiliated with the Patriotic Party (VP), a fringe party known for its staunch opposition to U.S.-Turkish ties and advocates stronger bonds with Russia and China.
Türkiye-U.S. relations have been tumultuous at times, but the two countries remain steadfast NATO allies. Yet, a recent international survey by U.S.-based think tank Pew Research Center showed that favorable opinion of the U.S. around the world was lowest in Türkiye, along with Tunisia.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is courting Muharrem Ince, a former member who once challenged President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in presidential elections. CHP leader Özgür Özel visited the Homeland Party (MP) headquarters on Wednesday and openly invited the party’s chair, Ince, to “return home.” Ince was a four-term CHP lawmaker before he was nominated as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2018 elections.
Ince told Özel that he would consider the invitation and discuss it with his party’s administrative board.
Although he parted ways with the CHP in 2021 after he failed to trigger an intraparty election to topple former CHP Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the veteran politician appeared supportive of the party at times, especially after the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu last March on charges of corruption. Ince also sided with the CHP in opposing the arrest as Özel, claiming it was a “politically motivated” act to imprison Imamoğlu, the future presidential candidate of the party. Nevertheless, Ince hinted that his support would not last long and suggested “a third way” was possible in Turkish politics outside the CHP and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) without openly promoting his party.
The MP has one of the lowest followings in the Turkish political landscape, scoring only 0.17% of the vote in last year’s municipal elections.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will one day face justice, Ambassador Egemen Bağış said Wednesday at a regional peace forum in Tirana, slamming the Israeli leader for exploiting his power to deflect from his own legal troubles.
Speaking during a panel at the “From Knowledge to Action” forum in Albania’s capital, Bağış criticized Israel’s ongoing attacks on Palestinians and said the time had come to reject Netanyahu’s actions.
“…we all have a problem with how Netanyahu abuses his authority to escape prosecution and extend his political career. It’s time to say ‘no’ — and I have no doubt we will see the day he is judged,” Bağış said.
Türkiye has been a fervent critic of Israel, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler, accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide and criticizing Western nations for backing Israel.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November 2024, for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity tied to the war in Gaza and the October 2023 incursion that spurred Israel’s genocidal offensive.
In their decision to grant the warrants, the ICC judges said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for starvation in Gaza and the persecution of Palestinians.
Addressing Türkiye-Greece relations, Bağış acknowledged political differences but emphasized solidarity in times of crisis. “We may have disagreements, but when it matters most, we are the first to help each other,” he said.
He also highlighted the growing role of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in combating xenophobia, racism, and Islamophobia.
“In today’s world of wars, I can’t hear the voice of peace,” Bağış said, calling for renewed global efforts to protect human dignity and cooperation.
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