‘Turkey Is the New Iran’
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently said that Turkey “may be forced” to acquire nuclear weapons to counterbalance Israel and Iran to prevent them from dominating the Middle East.
‘Turkey Is the New Iran’
Soeren Kern | Israel My Glory | July 1, 2026
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently said that Turkey “may be forced” to acquire nuclear weapons to counterbalance Israel and Iran to prevent them from dominating the Middle East. In an interview with CNN Turk, he described having a nuclear weapons capability as a “high-level strategic issue” that must be considered “within the broader, bigger picture” of regional geopolitics.
Fidan’s comments echo those by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has said it is unfair for nuclear armed states “like the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom”—the five permanent members of the UN Security Council—to prevent Turkey from obtaining nuclear weapons. “Some countries have missiles with nuclear warheads, not one or two,” he said. “But they tell us we cannot have them. This I cannot accept.”
Although Turkey currently relies on nuclear deterrence provided by the United States through NATO, the statements have raised concerns that Ankara may be considering an active nuclear weapons program.
