Why did Trump sanction Türkiye - a key NATO ally?

Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson was placed under house arrest in Izmir, Türkiye on July 25. Photo: AP

In response to the jailing of Andrew Brunson, an American pastor who has been held for nearly two years on espionage and terrorism charges, the Trump administration imposed financial sanctions on two senior members of the Turkish government, freezing their U.S. assets, banning them from traveling to the United States, and preventing them from engaging in any financial transactions with U.S. citizens.

The Trump administration’s move is an “unprecedented” escalation against Türkiye, a NATO ally that hosts the largest US nuclear arsenal abroad. It also marks Trump’s latest attempt to use America’s dominant role in the global financial system to get what he wants from another country — even a longtime ally.

Trump threatened Ankara with sanctions last week via Twitter, following a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The sanctions, imposed on August 1, targeted Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, who the Treasury Department said played leading roles in the organizations that unjustly detained Brunson. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump personally ordered the sanctions.

US President Trump and his Turkish counterpart Erdogan. Photo: Internet

The decision to use sanctions is a tactic Trump has used before. But so far, the Trump administration has used harsh sanctions against foreign adversaries, such as North Korea and Iran, to strangle their economies and force them to the negotiating table.

In this case, the US Treasury Department showed greater “creativity” by using financial sanctions targeting only two senior officials, one of whom claimed to have no assets in the US, with the aim of sending a clear message to a foreign ally.

“The sanctions are aimed at just two members of Erdogan’s cabinet, while leaving the rest of the Turkish economy untouched,” said Jonathan Schanzer, a former US Treasury official and now senior vice president at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. “Two sniper bullets have been fired from the US financial system. Now that they are in effect, sanctions of this magnitude are still big enough to spook financial markets, cause the lira to fall, and cause other problems. But they will not have a profound impact on the Turkish economy.”

Indeed, the Turkish currency plunged to a record low after the White House announced the sanctions. The lira fell 1.6% to 5.01 lira per dollar.

The move also triggered a fierce reaction from Ankara. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has pledged to respond to the US moves. “There is no doubt that this decision will seriously damage the constructive efforts made to resolve the issues between the two countries,” the ministry said in a statement. “We urge the US administration to withdraw its wrong decision. A response corresponding to this aggressive attitude will be taken without delay.”

People gather outside the Justice and Development Party (AKP) headquarters in Istanbul on June 24, during Türkiye's presidential and parliamentary elections. Photo: AFP

Brunson, a 50-year-old North Carolina pastor who leads a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, was one of 20 Americans arrested after a failed 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan. Turkey says Brunson collaborated with U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party to overthrow the government. If convicted, Brunson could face up to 35 years in prison.

Brunson was recently placed under house arrest after 21 months in prison due to his deteriorating health, a move that angered Trump administration officials, particularly Vice President Mike Pence, who believed Brunson should have been released.

“The unjustified detention and continued prosecution of Pastor Brunson by Turkish authorities is simply unacceptable. President Trump has made it clear that the United States expects Turkey to release this pastor immediately,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

US fighter jets deployed to Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye in 2015 to join the campaign against IS. Photo: US Air Force

The current situation is a setback for US-Turkish relations, which have been strained in recent years as Erdogan has grown closer to Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the US and Turkey have a long history of military cooperation. For example, Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey has been a key point on NATO’s southern flank for more than half a century. The base now plays a key role, hosting fighter jets in the fight against the Islamic State and hosting dozens of B61 thermonuclear bombs that can be dropped from bombers at low altitudes.

According to Eric Edelman, former US ambassador to Türkiye, the Trump administration has sent a message to Mr. Erdogan and the Turkish government that the detention of American citizens is unacceptable, despite these longstanding and important relations, not to mention the possibility of a major “retaliation.” “That’s enough to make me think that these are completely appropriate measures taken in response to the Turkish government’s hostage-taking, not just of Pastor Brunson but also of other American citizens and local employees of the US government,” he said.