Turkey’s president calls for a boycott of US electronics

As tensions mount between the US and Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now calling for the country to boycott US electronics. He even called out the iPhone specifically -- a product he's often seen using. "Every product that we buy in foreign currency from outside, we will produce them here and sell abroad," Erdogan said during a speech given in Ankara, "We will boycott the electronics products of the US." He added, "If they have iPhone, there is Samsung on the other side. And we have our own telephone brands."

The ongoing disputes between the two countries began with the detainment of Andrew Brunson, an American pastor who has been accused of espionage and terrorism. The US has since imposed financial sanctions on two Turkish ministers, leading Turkey to clap back with its own sanctions. And last week, Donald Trump announced that he was looking to double the steel and aluminum tariffs that the US has imposed on Turkey, adding fuel to the fire.

In his speech yesterday, Erdogan said these moves were part of a larger effort to disable the country. "They do not refrain from using the economy as a weapon against us, as they tried in the areas of diplomacy, military or efforts for social and political instability," he said.