Lizzie Porter
@lcmporter.bsky.social
Award-winning correspondent based in Turkey for The National newspaper. English, français, العربيّة, فارسى, Türkçe öğreniyorum. I like elegant writing, translation, textiles, and the sea. All views are my own.
Iran has executed two men allegedly affiliated with an ISIS cell, the judiciary and monitoring groups based outside the country have said. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Iran executes two men accused of links to ISIS | The National
Executions part of surge in Iran's use of death penalty, human rights groups say
thenationalnews.com
#Nato launched major projects on maritime security and counter-drone work that will boost responses to threats faced by partners in the Gulf, assistant deputy secretary general Javier Colomina told me at the summit in Ankara www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Nato launches anti-drone and maritime security projects to help protect Gulf | The National
Javier Colomina, special representative for the Middle East, tells The National about 'extremely current' initiative
thenationalnews.com
US President Donald Trump said he would lift sanctions on Turkey and consider selling F-35 jets to the country after arriving in Ankara for a high-stakes Nato summit. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Trump lifts sanctions on Turkey and hails 'good chemistry' with Erdogan | The National
US President heaps praise on Turkish leader at Nato summit, as his criticism of Europe continues
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After a crackdown on major protests, economic turmoil and war, #Iranians are facing a mental health crisis. Amir Havasi & I spoke to people facing depression & anxiety, & mental health professionals seeing a surge in therapy, medication & self-medication. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
How mental health toll of war and repression has caused Iranians to 'fall apart inside' | The National
Residents and therapists tell The National of country's growing sense of despair and hopelessness
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You just couldn't even make it up www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
$14 million hidden in the walls: Raid on home of Iraqi deputy oil minister seizes stacks of cash | The National
Cash found during investigations into Ali Maarij Al Bahadly as Baghdad widens anti-corruption drive targeting senior officials
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Iran Risks Peace Talks With U.S. to Maintain Leverage Over Strait www.nytimes.com/2026/06/28/w...
Iran Risks Peace Talks With U.S. to Maintain Leverage Over Strait
nytimes.com
Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmadi and her team have been sentenced to 74 lashes and work and travel bans over a YouTube concert. Human rights campaigners are recording alarming crackdowns as the government rides high on back of deal with US vt.tiktok.com/ZSCAGX5SF/
TikTok - Make Your Day
vt.tiktok.com
Very little information on this from Turkey's side. But US says it returned back to Florida from Turkey a man who allegedly defrauded Medicare of *$2.7 bn* . Ibrahim Khaldoon Hilmi had been on the run since May 2025, the FBI said. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Alleged fraudster accused of $3.7bn healthcare scam returned to US after Turkey detention | The National
Ibrahim Khaldoon Hilmi was detained in Turkey and returned to Florida, FBI says
thenationalnews.com
Sahba Rashtian would have been 24 this week. Instead, her sister Yalda posted pictures of her daffodil and sunflower-strewn grave on Instagram. "I am sorry that the future we imagined has become impossible.” www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Memory of Iranian footballers killed in anti-government protests casts shadow over World Cup | The National
Dozens of people linked to the game were detained and killed in January protests
thenationalnews.com
Ahead of #Iran's match against Belgium tonight, I wrote about all the Iranian footballers killed & detained in January's anti-government protests www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Memory of Iranian footballers killed in anti-government protests casts shadow over World Cup | The National
Dozens of people linked to the game were detained and killed in January protests
thenationalnews.com
The numbers are mind-bending: inflation in #Iran is crippling the quality of life of millions of people. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Comparing the market in Iran: Wartime price rises hit food, phones and AC | The National
Economic crisis continues for Iranians despite US-Iran deal
thenationalnews.com
Ms Ahmadi’s YouTube page published a message in which she described herself as a “girl who wants to sing for the people I love”. “This is a right I could not ignore; singing for the land I love passionately." www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Iranian singer and team sentenced to lashes and work ban over audience-less concert | The National
Court claims Parastoo Ahmadi's 'vulgar' performance damaged 'public decency'
thenationalnews.com
#Iran ‘s ultraconservatives have been rallying against a deal. They also attempt to continue to impose curbs on Iranians’ lives, even though many have made it clear that they don’t want to live by hardline rules. My piece on the extreme end of Iran’s Principalists
War not talks: Who are Iran’s ultraconservatives? | The National
Hardliners clash with other conservatives and curb Iranians' freedoms
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Why did #Iran attack #Kuwait & #Bahrain this week? Tehran feels the need to assert its strength ; it wants to deter any action by the #US or #Israel that may make it lose its leverage over #Hormuz (or appear to do so). www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Iran sees recent escalation as show of strength in peace negotiations | The National
Series of strikes, including attack on Kuwait airport, is Tehran's way of laying down red lines
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#Iran’s middle class is disappearing. Carbohydrates are replacing protein as it becomes too expensive. Wild inflation comes on top of the trauma of war & brutal crackdown on protests in Jan. My in depth piece on an economy at the brink www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Broth, bargain hunting and cutbacks: How Iranians cope with 'inflation despair’ | The National
Fewer in the country have money to spend as triple-digit price rises bite
thenationalnews.com
Things you learn every day: the founder of Spanish fashion giant Mango Isak Andic, who plunged to his death on a hike in 2024, was born in Istanbul www.ft.com/content/0f69...
Jonathan Andic, the Mango heir turned homicide suspect
The son of the fashion brand’s founder is being investigated for foul play in connection with his father’s death
ft.com
“I laugh every I can’t stop laughing every time I say ‘internet pro.' It’s just a strategy for some of the internet service providers like Irancell to make some money.” www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Internet restored to tens of millions in Iran after three-month blackout | The National
Iranians back online after longest internet suspension in modern history
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Turkish police forced the evacuation of the country’s main opposition party headquarters on Sunday, in a dramatic escalation of a legal crackdown on rivals of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Turkish police force opposition leader out of headquarters in chaotic scenes | The National
Ozgur Ozel's election as head of Republican People's Party had been annulled by court last week
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Some Iranians have been attending pro-gov rallies every night for 2 months straight . But others can't stand them. “They annoy me so much,” one woman said. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Iran's nightly rallies portray unity in wartime but paper over deep divides | The National
Iranians' views on 'spontaneous gatherings' reflect heightened polarisation despite near universal opposition to attacks by US and Israel
thenationalnews.com
Story of the day - barnacles, algae and jellyfish clinging to ships stuck around the Strait of Hormuz are damaging the vessels and making it harder for them to move when they eventually can. Great way into a serious topic www.ft.com/content/28c8...
Barnacles and jellyfish infest ships trapped in the Gulf
Sea life could impede the ability of vessels to leave the region when the conflict ends
ft.com
127,000 jobs lost in a year in #Turkey's clothing, textile and leather manufacturing sectors, TEPAV report based on data from Turkey's social security institution says tepav.org.tr/tr/haberler/...
Giyim, tekstil ve deride yıllık istihdam kaybı 128 bine yaklaştı
TEPAV - Türkiye Ekonomi Politikaları Araştırma Vakfı
tepav.org.tr
My indepth piece about Turkish weapons firms seeing a surge in demand in the shadow of the #Iran-US-Israel conflict as Middle Eastern countries look to shore up their air defenses www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
'Business is good': Turkish arms firms see demand surge on back of regional conflict | The National
At an Istanbul trade show, defence contractors look to fill their order books with international custom
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My exclusive: #Turkey and #Iraq finalised details of a purchase by Baghdad of 20 air defence systems from Turkish state defence manufacturers, Iraq's army deputy chief of staff told me. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Iraq to buy 20 air defence systems from Turkey | The National
Purchase comes after widespread strikes on Iraq during US-Israeli war with Iran
thenationalnews.com
How is #Iran viewing the stalemate & tit for tat in the Strait of #Hormuz? It is in no rush to enter a deal to end the conflict that would involve it giving up its new found control. My latest www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
How does Iran view the Strait of Hormuz stalemate? | The National
Tehran in no mood for a quick deal as it seeks to leverage its ability to disrupt shipping through the waterway
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Iranians are living in neither war nor peace as excruciating price rises continue & an internal security crackdown intensifies. “I don't think the Islamic Republic can get out of this jam,” one woman in Tehran told me. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
'Truly feels like limbo': Indefinite ceasefire leaves Iranians in uncertainty | The National
Neither war nor peace as civilians struggle with rising prices and an internet blackout
thenationalnews.com
A New Era and New Leadership: The Generals Who Are Running Iran www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/w...
A New Era and New Leadership: The Generals Who Are Running Iran
nytimes.com
The internet might be telling you these women are AI creations. That is totally wrong. They're real Iranian women, mostly detained after taking part in anti-government protests in January. www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Where are the eight Iranian women Trump claimed to save from execution? | The National
Despite claims the women were AI-generated, activists say they face real peril after being arrested in crackdown on anti-government protests
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گزارش من راجع به تعدیل کار و تورم و بیکاری نتیجهی #جنگ و #قطعی_اینترنت در #ایران www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
'Zero income': Job cuts add to misery of war for Iranians | The National
Internet blackouts and soaring inflation squeeze normal Iranians' daily lives amid tense ceasefire with US and Israel
thenationalnews.com
#Iranians, already facing the trauma of war & a more hardline government, have seen their incomes decimated by both conflict-related layoffs & the continuing internet blackout. My special report www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
'Zero income': Job cuts add to misery of war for Iranians | The National
Internet blackouts and soaring inflation squeeze normal Iranians' daily lives amid tense ceasefire with US and Israel
thenationalnews.com
Amid the backdrop of its own conflict with #Pakistan, #Afghanistan has not escaped the fallout of the #Israel-#US-#Iran war, the Taliban-led Afghanistan Foreign Ministry official in charge of Middle East relations told me www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...
Afghanistan feels heat of Iran war as Taliban official says attacks on Gulf 'unfair' | The National
War leaves hard-up Afghanistan facing high inflation, Foreign Ministry official tells The National
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