Türkiye has decided to impose stricter authorization and inspection requirements on the transit trade of military materials through its territory amid the spreading wars in its region.
The Center for Combating Disinformation (DMD) stated on March 18, addressing the ongoing debate in social media and political circles over the past two days on whether Türkiye has taken sides in the Iran strike carried out by the U.S.–Israel alliance. The DMD denied claims that a presidential decree, signed by President Tayyip Erdoğan, issued on March 17 and amending Türkiye’s regime governing the transit trade of weapons, ammunition, and military materials, amid the spreadişng wars in its region, would “provide logistical support to Israel” or “allow the transfer of foreign-owned weapons through Türkiye.”
Immediately after the decree was published, claims circulating on social media suggesting that it could enable logistical support to Israel spilled over into politics. For instance, Saadet Party leader Mahmut Arıkan called on the government to clarify the issue without delay.
For my part, I also posted on my X account that “it would be useful to clarify whether the transport of military materials through Türkiye has any connection to the Iran war by the U.S.–Israel alliance.”
The clarification, however, came not from the Ministry of Trade, which is responsible for implementing the decree, nor from the Ministry of National Defense, which bears indirect responsibility, but from the DMD under the Presidency.
Restriction on Military Material Trade
Article 4 of the decree, in fact, clearly states that transit trade through Türkiye will be subject to inspection at customs if there is suspicion that it may lead to “adverse developments” in Türkiye’s bilateral or multilateral relations—even if the items are not included in the controlled goods list. Under Law No. 5201, the Ministry of National Defense will be responsible for overseeing whether all or part of the transit materials can be used for military purposes.
In essence, Türkiye aims to restrict the use of its territory for the transit trade of military materials by other countries. From the outset, the government has opposed both the U.S.–Israel alliance’s attack on Iran and Iran’s missile strikes on Arab countries hosting U.S. bases, emphasizing its intention to stay out of the conflict.
If implemented in line with its stated purpose, the decree could prevent not only shipments to Israel via Türkiye but also the transit of military materials to countries such as Iran or Russia.
Why the U.S.–Israel Narrative?
However, other developments on the same day contributed to the emergence of these claims. Reports—denied by official sources—that the United States had requested permission to use bases and airspace in Türkiye, along with speculation that the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy’s refusal to participate in U.S. President Donald Trump’s Strait of Hormuz operation might prompt Washington to turn again to Türkiye, created fertile ground for such allegations. It is also possible that these claims were deliberately spread; it should not be forgotten that this is part of a psychological propaganda war.
Two statements in the DMD’s release also suggest that there had been legal ambiguities regarding the transit trade of military materials.
First, the DMD emphasized that the presidential decree did not liberalize transit passages but, on the contrary, made them “subject to permission and inspection,” implying that there may previously have been gaps in authorization and oversight.
Second, it stated that the decree aimed to eliminate “uncertainties in practice regarding the competent authority in re-export within the scope of transit passage and transit trade,” indicating that there had been ambiguity in the supervision of military materials transiting through Türkiye.
Connection to the Iran War
Alongside these explanations, the DMD maintained that the decision on transit military trade is unrelated to “current developments,” namely the Iran war.
In my view, the connection appears evident, but that is not the most important point; what matters is that Türkiye maintains its stance of staying out of this war.