International Report

Turkey's foreign minister has warned it could be Israel’s "next enemy" as the war with Iran appears headed for closure, and called for a Middle East security pact amid rising tensions between the two countries.  "After Iran, Israel cannot live without an enemy – it has to develop a rhetoric to shape public opinion," declared Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in a television interview on Monday. "We see that not only Netanyahu’s administration, but also some figures in the opposition – though not all – are seeking to declare Turkey the new enemy." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become one of the region’s most vocal critics of Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, fuelling a surge in bilateral tensions. In response, Israel accuses Erdogan of backing terrorist organisations, including Hamas, whom Erdogan has called “liberation fighters". Diplomatic ties have withered, leaving only a skeleton crew in each respective embassy. Iraq turns to Turkey for oil exports as Middle East war r

Following several Iranian missile strikes targeting Turkey, Ankara is accelerating its efforts to create its own missile defence system dubbed the “steel dome”. According to reports, it is in talks to procure Europe's latest anti-missile system. But Ankara’s aspirations are unnerving Israel – as well as its neighbours, Greece and Cyprus. Air raid warnings during an Iranian missile strike on the Turkish city of Adana, home to a Nato airbase, served as a stark reminder of Turkey's vulnerability to such attacks. While all the missiles were intercepted by Nato forces, Turkish security analyst Arda Mevlutoglu says the attacks are spurring Ankara on to procure the French-Italian SAMP/T anti-missile system. "Turkey's existing air defence system inventory, as well as the maturing air defence systems, are not capable of countering medium-range ballistic missiles or long-range ballistic missiles," he said. "So Turkey needs an urgent operational gap filler to address the ballistic missile threats. And the next-generatio

Iraq is turning to Turkey as an alternative route for its oil exports, as the war in the Middle East continues. The Iraqi move comes as Ankara steps up efforts to capitalise on the shifting diplomatic, economic and security landscape in the region.  In a race to find routes that circumvent the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq has resumed pumping oil through a previously disused pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The Iraqi Minister of Oil, Hayyan Abdul-Ghani al-Sawad, claims that up to a million barrels of oil could be exported via Turkey.  The Iran war is also boosting Baghdad's efforts to realise the Iraqi Development Road, a multi-billion euro project to turn Iraq into a transit hub between Asia and Europe via Turkey, says Norman Ricklefs of the geopolitical consultancy, the NAMEA Group. "[The Iran war] is an impetus for [the Iraqi Development Road], to be accelerated. It would be a great project to link Turkey and Iraq closer to together.” The maritime passages with a chokehold on the global economy Turkish inf

As Azerbaijan is hit by drone attacks and its security forces claim to have arrested Iranian agents planning attacks against Israeli interests, fears of contagion in the Iranian war are rising. For Turkey, which has a defence alliance with Azerbaijan, its relationship with Baku is complicated by the latter's close ties with Israel. On 5 March, drones attacked the airport of Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave, which borders Iran. Baku blamed Iran, a charge Tehran denies. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev condemned the attack as “terrorism” and warned Tehran of a severe response if the attacks continued. The drone strikes are viewed by Baku as a warning over its close ties with Israel. “There are some verbal attacks from [social media] accounts associated with the [Iranian] Revolutionary Guards that Azerbaijan should expel Israeli agents and things like that. We responded that we are not part of this conflict,” explained Farid Shafijev, chairman of the Baku-based government-affiliated think tank, the Center for A

With war on the continent and uncertainty surrounding transatlantic guarantees, Europe is being forced to confront vulnerabilities in its defence. The combination is forcing governments to tackle long-standing inefficiencies – and to ask whether current plans go far enough. As the war grinds on in Ukraine and alliances shift under pressure, policymakers across Europe are confronting a stark reality: security can no longer be taken for granted. For decades following the Cold War, Europe operated within a relatively stable framework. Defence spending was reduced, industrial capacity thinned, and reliance on the United States became an accepted cornerstone of European defence. That model is now under strain. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought high-intensity conflict back to the continent, while political uncertainty in Washington has raised questions about the durability of US commitments. In response, the European Union is rethinking its approach. It has taken practical steps  in the form of initiatives s

The Iran war is adding impetus to reconciliation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as the region seeks to position itself as a new trade corridor between Europe and energy-rich central Asia, with the conflict highlighting Europe's energy dependency on the volatile Middle East. Addressing the European Parliament earlier this month, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared that, with the Iranian conflict on its border, efforts would be stepped up to realise a trade route with Azerbaijan.  The United States-brokered TRIPP project, negotiated by United States President Donald Trump last August, is seen as key to reconciling the two countries, after decades of conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.  With both Armenia and Azerbaijan bordering Iran, the conflict is providing a powerful impetus for cooperation. “This war in Iran has fostered much more of a localised regional identity where, despite the wars and the conflicts of the last several decades, Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan are

With French warships deployed from the Mediterranean to the Strait of Hormuz, former French general Dominique Trinquand speaks to RFI about what's at stake for France, Europe and the risk of conflict escalation in the Middle East. France has deployed a large part of its naval forces to the Middle East as the war triggered by Israeli-US strikes on Iran enters its third week, with Paris seeking to protect European interests, reassure allies and prevent the conflict from spreading further across the region. President Emmanuel Macron has described the mobilisation as "unprecedented", with French assets now operating across the eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most vital maritime chokepoints for global energy supplies. The deployment comes as US President Donald Trump calls on allies to help secure shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, warning NATO members of a “very bad” future future if they fail to assist Washington in safeguarding the passage. Speaking to RFI, fo

The Turkish government is warning the United States and Israel against involving Iran’s Kurdish minority in the war against the Iranian regime. Home to millions of Kurds, Turkey fears any such move could destabilise its ongoing peace process with Kurdish militants calling for an autonomous state. Concentrated in north-western Iran along the borders with Turkey and Iraq, Kurds are estimated to make up 8 to 17 percent of Iran’s population.  As the war in the Middle East continues, several international news agencies reported talks between US officials and armed Iranian Kurdish groups. Seeking to assuage Turkish concerns, President Donald Trump last weekend ruled out such a move. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan welcomed Washington's assurances, but warned the threat remained. "Israel’s intentions on this matter are no secret," he told reporters. "Israel has for years used Kurdish groups in the region as a proxy." Home to a large Kurdish minority, Turkey has fought a bitter war for decades against the Kurdis

Even as Washington hints at a quick end to the war with Iran, analysts say Tehran is preparing for a longer strategic struggle. The Middle East is in the grip of a widening conflict following joint US and Israeli strikes across Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks. While US president Donald Trump has suggested the war could end soon, many analysts and regional actors see the trajectory very differently. For them, the escalation risks pulling the region into a deeper and more dangerous phase. The European Council on Foreign Relations has warned that the confrontation could become a war with no winners, raising humanitarian risks inside Iran and threatening to destabilise an already fragile region. According to the foreign policy think tank, the latest conflict also risks drawing in global powers such as Russia and China while spreading across multiple theatres, from the Mediterranean to the Gulf. Julien Barnes-Dacey, Middle East and North Africa programme director at the ECFR, says the conflict has already pa

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is intensifying diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war after an Iranian missile was shot down approaching Turkey. The country worries it could be among those most affected by the conflict, as rising oil prices threaten the nation’s fragile economy and a potential Iranian refugee wave looms. NATO forces on Wednesday tracked the Iranian ballistic missile through Iraq and Syria and intercepted it as it headed towards Turkey’s Hatay province – home to the Incirlik air base, where a large US Air Force presence is stationed, along with nuclear weapons. Alliance member Turkey also hosts a NATO radar base close to the Iranian border, operated by American forces. Despite the presence of US soldiers, up until this incident Turkey had not been targeted by Iran, with Ankara maintaining close ties with Tehran. The Turkish government summoned the Iranian ambassador to make a formal complaint immediately after the missile was shot down. But Tehran denies firing the missile. Iran’s arm

Three decades after war reduced the city of Aghdam to ruins, deminers and returning residents are laying the groundwork for its revival. The destruction of the city of Aghdam in the contested enclave of Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh is among the most visible signs of the decades-long conflict between Azerbaijanis and ethnic Armenians. Now efforts are underway to bring the city back to life. A loud explosion breaks the winter silence as the latest disposal of collected mines takes place. ‘We’ve cleared three hundred thousand square meters and found more than ten thousand landmines,” proudly declares Elnur Gasimov, head of mine clearance operations in Aghdam. The dangerous work, done in freezing weather, carries significant risk. Gasimov's right hand is missing several fingers. “We have more than 10 deminers who have lost their legs, and we lost two deminers during the explosive disposal,” Gasimov told RFI. He explains that, with Aghdam once close to the frontline in fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani fo

For 15 years, the New Start treaty bound the United States and Russia to curb their nuclear arsenals – until it expired earlier this month. Researcher Benoit Pelopidas tells RFI what hope remains for disarmament now that there are no longer fixed limits on the world's two largest nuclear powers. In what could mark a major turning point in the history of arms control, New Start expired on 5 February. Neither US President Donald Trump nor his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has shown interest in renewing it.  The treaty was signed between the United States and Russia on 8 April 2010 and came into force on 5 February 2011. Initially planned to last 10 years, it was extended for another five in 2021. Its goal was to limit each side to 800 missile launchers and 1,550 nuclear warheads, with the two countries authorised to inspect each other's stockpiles. It was never a global treaty. Other countries signed up to the broader Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which came into force in 1970 a

Staunchly allied with Turkey, Somalia has become a flashpoint in Turkey's rivalry with Israel. Ankara recently deployed fighter jets to Mogadishu in the latest signal that it is determined to protect its strategic interests in the Horn of Africa after Israel recognised the breakaway region of Somaliland. In a conspicuous display of military strength, Turkish F-16 fighter jets roared over the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in late January. According to Turkish officials, the deployment was aimed at protecting Turkish interests and supporting Somali efforts to counter an insurgency by the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab.  It follows Israel’s recognition of Somaliland in December, which Ankara condemned as a threat to Somalia's territorial integrity. Turkish international relations expert Soli Ozel said the jets send a message to Israel: "Don't mess with our interests here." Somalia is poised to become the latest point of tension between the countries, he predicts. "I don't think they will fight, but they are both

A meeting between the leaders of Greece and Turkey next week seeks to rejuvenate a stalled rapprochement process between the neighbouring countries, amid growing tensions and fears of an unpredictable intervention by US President Donald Trump. Wednesday’s meeting in Ankara between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the latest in a series aimed at improving relations. It stems from the 2023 Athens Declaration, a formal statement of friendship that led to better economic cooperation and a cooling of military tensions over the disputed Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean Seas. Mitsotakis’s visit comes at a critical time for the process. “I think it's very important, the meeting has been postponed twice in the past,” says former Greek foreign ministry advisor Panayotis Ioakimidis, who now teaches at the University of Athens. “There are some people within the [Greek] governing party, and outside it, who have serious reservations about improving or even talking about

After more than a decade of war, a surge of violence in northern Syria is forcing thousands of people to flee – even as others return to a fractured country under a fragile interim government. With two-thirds of the population in need of urgent assistance and the UN humanitarian response underfunded, the Danish Refugee Council's Charlotte Slente tells RFI why aid groups fear catastrophic consequences as cold weather and economic collapse push millions to the brink. Clashes in and around Aleppo have displaced around 170,000 people since mid-January, as the Syrian army seeks to extend its control over previously Kurdish-controlled areas. Ongoing hostilities between government forces and armed groups continue to trigger displacement in several parts of the country, according to the UN. While political transition is underway after the fall of Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024, reconstruction and recovery efforts are hindered by instability and lack of funding.  Access to healthcare remains unreliable, and basic

While polls say the majority of Turkish people welcome the departure of Syrians displaced by the civil war, Turkey's business owners are feeling the pinch with the loss of their workforce. With the end of the Syrian civil war, Turkey claims that nearly a million refugees who were living there have already returned home. Their departure is being welcomed by the Turkish government, amid growing public animosity over the presence of more than 3 million refugees. But for many Turkish companies, Syrians are an economic lifeline – as seen in Gaziantep, an industrial city close to the Syrian border.  The Inci Boya company is one of hundreds of small factories and workshops in the city. With a couple of dozen workers, hundreds of pieces of furniture are spray-painted each day. With long hours in air thick with dust, it’s arduous, dirty work. As in many factories in Gaziantep, Syrians make up a large share of the workforce.  “I can't get people from my own community to work in my sector,” explains owner Halil Yarabay.

The Syrian Army has made sweeping gains against Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria, dealing a major blow to Syrian Kurdish autonomy and handing victories to both Damascus and neighbouring Turkey. With Washington abandoning its backing of the militia alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces now face disbandment or renewed fighting. Within days, Syrian government troops swept aside the SDF and took control of vast areas of territory. The offensive followed the collapse of talks on integrating the SDF into the Syrian Army. Washington’s shift proved decisive. “The game changer was the American permission, the American green light to [Syrian President] Ahmed al-Sharaa. That opened the door to Damascus launching the offensive,” said Syria expert Fabrice Balanche, of Lyon University. The SDF had been a key US ally in the fight against Islamic State and relied on American support to deter an attack by Damascus. But with Islamic State now weakened and Sharaa joining Washington’s alliance against the group, the Kurds

From tariff-funded refunds to tough talk with allies, trade has once again become a central theme of Donald Trump’s White House. One year into Trump's second mandate, economist Gerald Friedman walks RFI through the reality behind the rhetoric and looks to how the administration may ultimately be judged. One year after Donald Trump returned to the White House, his second administration has wasted little time putting trade at the forefront of policy. Tariffs, the US president insists, are delivering an economic renaissance. Inflation has supposedly all but vanished. The stock market is booming. Trillions of dollars are said to be pouring into the Treasury, with the promise of tariff-funded cheques soon landing in American letterboxes. Critics, Trump has declared, are "fools". Strip away the slogans, however, and the picture looks far less flattering. According to Gerald Friedman, professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Trump’s tariff-driven revival is built on shaky foundations – econ

Turkey is opposing calls for regime change in Iran as security forces carry out a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests. The Turkish government accuses Israel of exploiting the unrest, and is leading efforts to block any military action against Iran – warning that a collapse of the regime could destabilise the region. Since protests began across Iran almost three weeks ago, Turkey has tried to play down the scale of the unrest. It has distanced itself from Western allies calling for regime change and avoided offering explicit support for those demands. The protests began on 28 December after a currency collapse triggered demonstrations by merchants and traders in Tehran. The unrest quickly spread nationwide. Activists say more than 2,000 protesters have been killed. Alongside Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, Turkey has lobbied Washington against any military response to the killings. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said such a move would worsen the situation. “We oppose military intervention against Iran;

Turkey has backed a Syrian army offensive against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, despite a fragile ceasefire backed by the United States. Aleppo has seen its worst fighting in years, as the Syrian army moved to oust the SDF from two large, mainly Kurdish neighbourhoods in the north of the city. The clashes began in late December and continued into January, forcing many civilians to flee. The SDF controls a large swathe of northern and eastern Syria. The offensive comes as efforts to integrate the SDF into the Syrian army stalled. “This is a warning. It is a kind of pressure on the SDF to come to a conclusion quickly, rather than to kick the can down the road with Damascus,” Aydin Selcen, a former senior Turkish diplomat who served in the region, told RFI. Turkey’s backing Ankara, which has recently reopened channels with Damascus after years of strained relations, strongly backs the offensive and has signalled its readiness to provide military support ag