As the Iran war unfolds and has shown signs of becoming a regional conflict, one interesting question is what Turkey’s role will be, given that it is both a NATO member possessing a large military and an avowed regional enemy and rival to Israel for influence.  A Turkish defence ministry source has been cited in national media to say the country is mulling deployment of F-16 fighter jets to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Earlier this week, a British military base hosted in an EU member state, Cyprus (on the southern side of the island) came under attack by Iranian-made drones.  This has resulted in some European military assets being moved to Cyprus, including additional British forces. But now it appears Turkey wants to make a show of claiming the name for the Turkish-claimed Cypriot territory. Turkey’s Daily Sabah points out, however, that “TRNC has been incensed by Greek Cypriot’s growing military cooperation with its Western partners after the United Kingdom allowed the U.S. to use its military base in the south of the divided island. Citing the military source, the same Turkish outlet said, “The TRNC leadership has held a series of security meetings in response to the crisis, he added, focusing on crisis management, coordination with Türkiye and […]