Digging the grave: Turkey already building three nuclear reactors and has issued tenders for more — spoiler: “not alone Israel!”
Turkey is taking decisive steps toward nuclear capability after receiving the green light from President Erdoğan. Following his March 2025 announcement that Ankara intends to develop its own small modular reactors to strengthen its position in the nuclear energy market, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said
But energy is not the whole story. The article argues that Turkey’s nuclear drive is also strategic: after Erdoğan declared Israel an enemy rather than a rival and has taken increasingly extreme steps, Ankara concluded it could not confront Israel conventionally. Citing foreign sources, the piece claims Israel possesses roughly 90 nuclear warheads capable of devastating Turkish territory — a deterrent that has so far discouraged open confrontation.
The author warns that once Turkey’s reactors begin producing fissile material, Ankara may rush to manufacture warheads and join the club of nuclear-armed states, emulating Iran’s parallel program in the region.