Turkey and weapons of mass destruction

The United States has stationed nuclear weapons in Turkey since 1959. As of 2023, an estimated 20 to 30 B61 nuclear bombs were stored at Incirlik Air Base under the command and control of the United States Air Force (USAF).

Responding to the Iranian nuclear program, Turkey has publicly expressed similar ambitions to those of Saudi Arabia. In 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan questioned Turkey's signature on the Non-Proliferation Treaty and implicitly declared his administration's agenda of acquiring a nuclear weapon.

On 9 February 2026, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that "if Iran succeed in nuclear weapons development, it could trigger a regional nuclear arms race in the Middle East", which was also echoed by the Turkish government-aligned newspaper, Yeni Şafak.

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