Thomas Seibert

Thomas Seibert is an Arab Weekly contributor in Istanbul.

Author Articles

Troubled waters. Oil tanker British Heritage sails in the Bosporus on its way to the Black Sea in Istanbul, last March. (Reuters)
Iran in tanker row with UK as pressure on Europe fails to produce results
July 13, 2019
Could be trouble. A Russian military cargo plane carrying the S-400 missile defence system from Russia to the Murted military airbase, in Ankara, Turkey, July 12. (AFP)
Erdogan strikes defiant posture but crisis looms with US over Russian missile system
July 13, 2019
Angering neighbours. Journalists walk next to the drilling ship Yavuz at the port of Dilovasi outside Istanbul, June 20. (AFP)
Turkey fires up row over natural gas resources in eastern Mediterranean
July 13, 2019
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a meeting of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue in Ankara, last May. (AP)
Turkey’s optimism about resolving Russian missile row with US may be misplaced
July 06, 2019
Sea Hawk helicopter releases flares during an Independence Day air power demonstration next to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in Arabian Sea, July 4. (US Navy via AP)
Tehran breaks nuclear rules in risky bid to pressure Europe
July 06, 2019
Iran and US approach ‘end of diplomacy’, war of words escalates after new sanctions
June 29, 2019
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29. (Reuters)
Turks wonder if Istanbul vote was fatal blow to Erdogan
June 29, 2019
Ekrem Imamoglu, mayoral candidate of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), holds a rally in Beylikduzu district, in Istanbul, Turkey, June 23, 2019. (Reuters)
In major setback for Erdogan, Turkish opposition wins Istanbul election
June 24, 2019
People watch a televised debate between Istanbul’s mayoral candidates Ekrem Imamoglu (L), of the Republican People’s Party, and Binali Yildirim, of the Justice and Development Party, at a cafe in Istanbul, June 16. (Reuters)
As new problems for Turkey pile up, Erdogan faces key challenge in Istanbul
June 22, 2019
Suspended strikes. Iranians walk past a mural painting along the wall of the former US Embassy in Tehran, June 22, 2019. (AFP)
US mulls ‘measured’ strikes as Iran prepares to break nuclear limits
June 22, 2019
Lofty ambitions. Turkish Air Force jet fighters escort the plane of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he arrives at the new airport in Istanbul, last September. (AP)
Turkey’s goal to become major arms manufacturer is complicating row with US
June 15, 2019
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the end of a news conference at the State Department in Washington, June 13. (AP)
Suspected Iran attacks put region on warpath
June 15, 2019
In the crosshairs. Members of the Syrian Civil Defence carry a wounded man on a stretcher following a reported air strike on the town of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib, June 3. (AFP)
Idlib fighting sparks war crimes accusations, Russian-Turkish tensions
June 08, 2019
Trucks are seen on the banks of the Tigris River near Hasankeyf, last December. (AFP)
Turkish dam could hold trouble for Anatolia’s cultural heritage and for Iraq
June 08, 2019
Iranian President Hassan Rohani (R) greets Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah at the presidency office in Tehran, March 18. (AP)
Possible mediators for crisis between Iran and US line up, but prospects in doubt
June 01, 2019
Pivotal role. Co-leaders of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party Pervin Buldan (L) and Sezai Temelli (R) sit next to HDP Vice-President Azad Baris during a news conference in Istanbul, last February.(AFP)
As new Istanbul election approaches, Kurdish voters emerge as kingmakers
June 01, 2019
People at the “Dinner on the Ground” in Istanbul’s Uskudar district. (Thomas Seibert)
Turkey’s Ramadan ‘Dinners on the Ground’ ruffle government feathers
May 25, 2019
A show of force. Iranian soldiers make their way to the Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz, April 30. (AFP)
Iran threatens war with ‘all its means,’ US stresses ‘deterrence’
May 25, 2019
Bumpy ride. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gets off a vintage tram at Taksim Square in Istanbul, May 12. (Reuters)
On defensive before vote, Erdogan could harden foreign policy stance
May 18, 2019
An Emirati man looks on at the port of Fujairah in the Gulf Emirate, May 13. (AFP)
Iran engages in high-risk game of brinkmanship that could lead to war
May 18, 2019