Trump says he blocked Turkish attacks on Israel during Iran war

“He was a prime candidate to go into the war with Iran, maybe on the Iran side, because he’s not a big fan of Israel,” Trump said.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stayed out of the recent Iran war at his request, while signaling that Washington may move toward resolving Turkey’s long-running demand to receive F-35 fighter jets.

Speaking in the Oval Office alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump described Erdogan as a friend and said the Turkish leader could have entered the conflict against Israel.

“He was a prime candidate to go into the war with Iran, maybe on the Iran side, because he’s not a big fan of Israel,” Trump said.

But Trump said Erdogan agreed not to get involved after he asked him to remain on the sidelines.

“Everything I’ve ever asked him for, he’s done,” Trump added.

The comments came ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara, where Trump and Erdogan are expected to meet. Erdogan said Wednesday that bilateral talks with Trump would “most likely” take place during the July 7-8 summit, which Turkey is hosting.

Trump said Erdogan’s role as host was a major reason he planned to attend.

“I am going to the summit out of respect for President Erdogan,” Trump said, according to Turkish media. “Except for the fact that it was being held in Turkey by President Erdogan, I don’t think I would have gone to it.”

Asked whether the US would provide Turkey with fighter jets and jet engines, Trump said he would “probably do something” that would make Turkey “very happy.”

Vice President JD Vance told reporters that the administration is reviewing whether Turkey can be brought back into the F-35 process despite its 2019 purchase of Russia’s S-400 air defense system, which led Washington to remove Ankara from the F-35 program.

“Pete and the entire team are reviewing this right now, because there are certain things that we have to certify have happened … in order to comply with American law. The president has asked us to do that,” Vance said, referring to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The F-35 dispute has been one of the most serious points of tension between the two NATO allies.

The Trump administration removed Turkey from the Joint Strike Fighter program in 2019 after Ankara took delivery of the Russian-made S-400 system, arguing that Turkey could not operate the Russian missile defense system while participating in a stealth fighter program.

US officials said at the time that the S-400 could compromise the F-35’s sensitive technology.

Turkey has long insisted that its purchase of the S-400 should not bar it from the F-35 and has argued that it fulfilled its obligations as a program partner. Ankara has also pushed Washington to approve defense sales tied to its own KAAN fighter project.

Reuters reported Wednesday that the Trump administration is preparing to move ahead with more than $700 million in jet engine sales to Turkey ahead of the NATO summit.

The engines would be used for KAAN, Turkey’s domestically developed combat aircraft. That sale would not by itself restore Turkey to the F-35 program, but it would mark a significant step toward rebuilding defense cooperation.