White House Official Warns Turkey About 'Consequences' of Not Releasing American Pastor

A White House official warned on Tuesday, August 23, that if Turkey does not release the imprisoned American pastor, it may face increased economic pressures. According to Reuters, these remarks came after John Bolton, the White House National Security Advisor, warned Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic that Washington would not negotiate with Ankara on any issue until Turkey frees Pastor Andrew Brunson. However, the unnamed White House official told Reuters on Tuesday, "There has been no progress in Pastor Brunson's situation so far." He emphasized that the U.S. government is firmly committed to this stance. The President is 100 percent committed to bringing Pastor Brunson back home (to the U.S.), and if no action is observed in the coming days or weeks, further measures may be taken. The official also stated that any potential further actions would likely take the form of economic sanctions. If we do not see results, pressure on (Turkey) will continue. Andrew Brunson was arrested following the failed coup in 2016 on charges of "espionage" and "terrorism" related to the network of Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish cleric living in the U.S., and Kurdish rebel groups. In recent weeks, the trial of Brunson, a 50-year-old American pastor, has escalated tensions between the two countries. Washington has called Brunson's trial unfair and stated that the continuation of his detention is unacceptable. The U.S. has sanctioned Abdulhamit Gul, Turkey's Minister of Justice, and Suleyman Soylu, the Minister of Interior, for their roles in Brunson's detention and has doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Turkey. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the U.S. is considering penalizing Halkbank, Turkey's state bank, for circumventing Iran sanctions. Mehmet Hakan Atilla, the former director of Halkbank, was sentenced to 32 months in prison in a New York court on May 26 for violating Iran sanctions.