Weekly Commentary: End America's Free Pass For Turkey
Dr. Aaron Lerner 1 April 2026

Secretary of State Rubio is justly criticizing European NATO allies for denying bases for operations against Iran.

Turkey has explicitly refused to allow the US to use Incirlik Air Base (or Turkish airspace) for any offensive operations or logistics against Iran. The base is one of the best-located NATO facilities for strikes on Iran (800 - 1,200 km from key targets, enabling shorter flights, higher sortie rates, and less refueling).

But Mr. Rubio, as President Trump, is silent about Turkey.

In late March 2026, Trump publicly called Turkey “fantastic” and Erdogan a “great leader” specifically for “staying out of things we asked them to” during the Iran war.

Sounds like Mr. Trump hasn't just lowered the bar. He's dug a hole for the bar he uses to measure the performance of Erdogan.

Is Erdogan a "great leader" for not deploying his air force to defend Iran?

Is Turkey "fantastic" because it isn't firing missiles at Tel Aviv?

This has been an ongoing free pass.

Turkey hosts Hamas’s main overseas political and operational leadership in Istanbul.

And today Turkey is doing everything in its power to ensure that Hamas is not actually disarmed.

Erdogan is anything but a moderate.

On 30 March 2025, during the official Eid al-Fitr prayer service at Camlıca Mosque in Istanbul (broadcast publicly), President Erdogan prayed: “May Allah, for the sake of his name ‘Al-Qahhar,’ destroy and devastate Zionist Israel.”

It is time for America to raise the bar for Turkey.

End the free pass.
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