Staff Reports
President Donald Trump landed in Ankara for a NATO summit with a big decision on the table: ease off on sanctions and restart weapons access for Türkiye, including F‑35‑related gear. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu loudly warned the president not to hand President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan advanced jets or the political cover to keep threatening Israel. Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was busy firing missiles at commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz. The timing is not accidental — it’s a test of American judgment and American strength.
Why Netanyahu’s warning matters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t call to be polite. He warned that arming Türkiye would upset the power balance in the Middle East and fuel Erdoğan’s anti‑Israel rhetoric. That’s not just political theater. Erdoğan has a history of cozying up to autocrats, shouting at allies, and using state power to press regional aims. Restoring F‑35 access or lifting sanctions without hard, verifiable changes would be like giving your untrustworthy neighbor the keys to the water pump and hoping for the best. Congress and allies should not be sold on a shortcut to stability that’s really a long detour to risk.
Strait of Hormuz strikes: the danger up close
The IRGC fired missiles at commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz even as diplomats were talking. That’s not random. Attacks on shipping have been part of Tehran’s playbook to scare the world and raise the price of deterrence. When merchant ships burn, global trade and energy markets feel it fast. NATO’s summit agenda should not be hijacked by a sudden romance with Türkiye while Iran is proving it can make the seas unsafe. If anything, these maritime attacks argue for a tougher allied stance, not an easier one.
Diplomacy is needed — but with teeth
Rolling back the 2019 F‑35 exclusion or lifting sanctions is not simply a diplomatic press release. It will face legal hurdles in Congress and real pushback from partners who fear losing Israel’s qualitative military edge. A smart policy would demand concrete actions from Türkiye: stop hostile moves, make amends for past behavior, and give ironclad guarantees to Israel and NATO. Promises from Erdoğan are cheap. Concrete, verifiable changes and written guarantees are the currency that matters.
What Congress and NATO should demand
Congress must insist on oversight. NATO members should balance engagement with clear guardrails. And the U.S. should not send mixed signals to Iran and its proxies in the Gulf. That means bolstering maritime security, increasing patrols to protect shipping lanes, and keeping pressure on the IRGC for its attacks. A strong America supports allies and punishes bad actors. Appeasement looks generous at first, and dangerous later.
President Trump faces a test of strategy and steel. Rebuilding ties with Türkiye might be useful — but only if it comes with strict conditions and real consequences for misbehavior. Otherwise we risk trading short‑term headlines for long‑term headaches. NATO should be about shared security, not short memories. The safety of Israel, the security of shipping in the Gulf, and the credibility of American deterrence deserve nothing less than clarity and backbone.
