ISTANBUL: Turkey’s president has taken aim at France’s leader, following French criticism about Turkish maritime activities in the eastern Mediterranean that have ignited tensions with Greece and the European Union.
In a speech Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron was targeting him.
“You will have many more problems with me,” Erdogan said, adding, “don’t mess with the Turkish nation and Turkey.”
On Friday, Marcon said that Europe needed to be “clear and firm” with Erdogan’s government over its actions.
France and Turkey, both NATO members, have been at odds over an arms embargo for Libya and over the situation in the eastern Mediterranean, where Paris is supporting Greece and Cyprus, who say Turkey is looking for oil and gas in their waters. Turkey says it has equal rights to the resources in those waters.
Erdogan also said France has no right to criticize Turkey, considering its colonial record.
Turkey’s Erdogan slams Macron amid Mediterranean tensions
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Turkey’s Erdogan slams Macron amid Mediterranean tensions
- In a speech Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron was targeting him
- On Friday, Marcon said that Europe needed to be “clear and firm” with Erdogan’s government over its actions
Second US aircraft carrier is being sent to the Middle East, AP source says
- Move by the USS Gerald R. Ford, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region
- Trump told Axios earlier this week that he was considering sending a second carrier strike group to the Middle East
WASHINGTON: The world’s largest aircraft carrier has been ordered to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East, a person familiar with the plans said Thursday, as US President Donald Trump considers whether to take possible military action against Iran.
The move by the USS Gerald R. Ford, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region as Trump increases pressure on Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago.
It marks a quick turnaround for the USS Ford, which Trump sent from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean last October as the administration build up a huge military presence in the leadup to the surprise raid last month that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
It also appears to be at odds with Trump’s national security strategy, which put an emphasis on the Western Hemisphere over other parts of the world.
Trump on Thursday warned Iran that failure to reach a deal with his administration would be “very traumatic.” Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman last week.
“I guess over the next month, something like that,” Trump said in response to a question about his timeline for striking a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. “It should happen quickly. They should agree very quickly.”
Trump told Axios earlier this week that he was considering sending a second carrier strike group to the Middle East.
Trump held lengthy talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and said he insisted to Israel’s leader that negotiations with Iran needed to continue. Netanyahu is urging the administration to press Tehran to scale back its ballistic missile program and end its support for militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as part of any deal.
The USS Ford set out on deployment in late June 2025, which means the crew will have been deployed for eight months in two weeks time. While it is unclear how long the ship will remain in the Middle East, the move sets the crew up for an usually long deployment.
The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
