Turkey’s rhetoric and positions on the Israel-Hamas war have paved the way for closer ties with Iran, which both nations will explore as they seek to resolve long-standing issues. 

“Compartmentalization has long been the name of the game for the Iran-Turkey relationship under the Islamic Republic and AKP, respectively,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan is the chairman of the AKP political party.

“While traditionally the two non-Arab Muslim Middle Eastern powers have competed as to who can champion the Palestinian street, the post-Arab Spring Middle Eastern order has led to more opportunities for a NATO member and the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism to channel their political ire and more at Israel,” Taleblu said. 

Turkey has found itself at odds with its NATO allies, most of whom have backed Israel’s right to defend itself following the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7, while Turkey has echoed the stances of other Middle Eastern nations in questioning Israel and defending the Palestinians.