The US is warning more economic pressures may be in store for Turkey if it refuses to release a jailed American pastor as the row between the two countries escalates.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The tough message from a White House official on Tuesday emerged a day after White House national security adviser John Bolton met privately with Turkish ambassador Serdar Kilic about the case of evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson.
Bolton warned Kilic that the United States would not give any ground, a senior US official said.
The White House official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said "nothing has progressed" thus far on the Brunson case.
"The administration is going to stay extremely firm on this. The president is 100 per cent committed to bringing Pastor Brunson home and if we do not see actions in the next few days or a week there could be further actions taken," the official said.
Further actions would likely take the form of economic sanctions, the official said, adding: "The pressure is going to keep up if we're not seeing results."
Relations between Turkey and the United States have been soured by Brunson's detention, as well as diverging interests on Syria.
Trump doubled tariffs on imports of Turkish steel and aluminium last week, contributing to a precipitous fall in the lira.
Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan has said in retaliation that the nation will boycott electronic products from the US.
The United States is also considering a fine against Turkey's state-owned Halkbank for allegedly helping Iran evade US sanctions. Earlier this month, the United States imposed sanctions on two top officials in Erdogan's cabinet in an attempt to get Turkey to turn over Brunson.
Brunson is accused of backing a coup attempt against Erdogan two years ago, charges that he has denied. He is being tried on terrorism charges.
Australian Associated Press
