Turkey Deepening Ties with Iran?

The president of Turkey's increasingly Islamist government, Abdullah Gul, visited Iran and did not criticize Iran or Ahmadinejad over human rights abuses relative to the uprisings in Iran. Yet, Gul was quick to defend the Egyptian protesters and by extension, the Muslim Brotherhood, which has sought an alliance with Turkey for decades. The words and actions of the Obama administration seem to put the United States on the same side with Turkey here.

Via CNS News:

On a visit to Iran that will heighten concerns in the U.S. about his nation’s policy shift, Turkish President Abdullah Gul is strengthening political and economic ties with Iran, winning praise from his Iranian counterpart for defending Iran’s rights “in all international forums.”

Gul’s three-day visit comes as Western governments condemn the Iranian government’s continuing suppression of opposition supporters and the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog confirms ongoing uranium enrichment in defiance of Security Council resolutions.

In both of those areas, the Islamist-leaning Justice and Development Party (AKP) government of Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has refused to side against Tehran at the U.N.

Often lost in all of this is why Turkey would align with Iran. The Muslim Brotherhood is Sunni and Iran is Shiite. The answer involves Saudi Arabia - in addition to Israel. The stronger the arab world gets and the more Iran and Turkey align, the more concerned Saudi Arabia becomes. They do NOT like what's going on at all.

If Obama is beholden to the royal family in any way, he is throwing them under the bus whether they realize it or not.

Read it all.