The U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites—Natanz, Isfahan, Fordow—weren’t just military actions. They were a message: the era of tolerating authoritarian nuclear ambitions is over.
Iran’s program was crippled in hours. But as the dust settles in the Iranian desert, another, quieter threat rises in the East: Turkey.
President Erdoğan’s statements since 2019 about the “unfairness” of global nuclear rules are not harmless rhetoric. They are strategic declarations. Under his leadership, Turkey has revived expansionist doctrine, projecting power across the Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean, and even Jerusalem. Nuclear arms, in this worldview, are not deterrents—they are leverage.
Turkey’s arsenal of ballistic missiles—Bora, Tayfun, Cenk—can already deliver payloads up to 1,000 kilometers. Currently conventional, these systems could one day be retrofitted to carry nuclear warheads. Add to that the human capital being trained at the Russian-built Akkuyu nuclear plant, and Turkey is quietly assembling the puzzle.
While the plant is under Rosatom’s control, the domestic expertise it generates could eventually be redirected. Today, there’s no evidence of a covert weapons program—but as with Iran, things can change rapidly. And if the world waits for proof, it may already be too late.
The U.S. acted on Iran when diplomacy failed. Why does Turkey remain untouched? Because it’s in NATO? Because the West hopes Erdoğan will one day be replaced? This blind optimism allows an increasingly authoritarian regime to flirt with nuclear capability under the alliance’s umbrella.
Greece must act. As the easternmost democracy of Europe, it cannot rely on others to raise the alarm. It must demand:
- Full transparency of Turkey’s nuclear activities.
- Prohibition of uranium enrichment or hidden imports.
- IAEA inspections with teeth, not formalities.
- Clear red lines: nuclear ambition means consequences.
Iran paid the price for its opacity. Turkey walks the same path in plain sight, yet Western silence emboldens it. Erdoğan sees what happened to Tehran. He will either seek a similar deterrent—or risk suffering the same fate.
Greece must lead the international charge. Nuclear weapons in Turkish hands—now or under a successor—would upend the regional balance and spark an arms race in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The world cannot afford to pretend Turkey’s ambitions are empty talk. History has shown what happens when dictators gain the bomb. Greece, more than any other country, must ensure that lesson isn’t forgotten again.
