US sanctions two Turkish ministers for jailed pastor
Trump, who had enjoyed a relatively warm relationship with Mr Erdogan and “fist-bumped” the Turkish president at a Nato summit last month.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is set to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the next few days, said the move “will not go without response”.
The Senate voted on Wednesday to pass a $716 billion (Dh2.63 trillion) National Defence Authorisation Act that would temporarily block the delivery of F-35 jets to Turkey.
The Senate approved the act 87-10.
It includes a provision to force the Pentagon to halt the transfer until it can provide a report in 90 days to Congress addressing key issues of Turkish military deals with Russia and the detention of Mr Brunson.
On Wednesday, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said: “An equivalent response to this aggressive attitude will be given without delay.
“There is no doubt that the decision, which disrespectfully intervenes in our judicial system, stands in contrast to the essence of our relations and will seriously damage the constructive efforts made in order to resolve problems between the two countries.”
The standoff is one of the most serious crises between Turkey and the US in modern history, along with the rows over the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, Mr Erdogan’s son-in-law, said the impact on the economy would be limited.
Aaron Stein, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafiq Hariri Centre for the Middle East, told The National that the sanctions “are obviously a big deal, but these seem designed to limit damage to the Turkish economy while still making a point”.
Aykan Erdemir, a former Turkish parliamentarian and expert at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, said: “The US sanctions against ministers of a Nato member are unprecedented.
“It shows how strained bilateral relations are between Washington and Ankara.”
He blamed Mr Erdogan’s “hostage diplomacy” for the deterioration.
Ankara and Washington are also at odds over American support for a Kurdish militia in Syria and the US is wary of Turkey’s growing co-operation with Russia and its deal to buy Russian air defence systems.