U.S. President Donald Trump has said that Turkey has played an “extremely effective” role in dealing with Iran and the challenges surrounding the country. Speaking at a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Turkey for a NATO summit, Mr Trump said Ankara “understands Iran and its issues very well.” Mr Trump described Turkey as a “very powerful military country” and said that despite tensions between Turkey and Israel, Ankara had avoided becoming involved in a wider conflict. He also praised relations between Washington and Ankara as “excellent,” saying Turkey had made efforts to help bring an end to the confrontation with Iran. Referring to the U.S. actions against Iran, Mr Trump said: “This is not even a war. This is a military operation. This is nuclear disarmament.” The U.S. president added that Turkey and the United States shared the same position regarding Iran’s nuclear capabilities, saying he was confident Ankara did not want Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.
