In an attempt to retaliate against the United States for imposing sanctions on steel and aluminum, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Tuesday that his country would boycott electronic goods from the U.S.
Erdogan gave a televised speech on Tuesday in which he called for the boycott of iPhones. “If (the United States) has the iPhone, there’s Samsung on the other side,” said Erdogan, USA Today reports.
“We (also) have our Venus and Vestel,” he added, referring to Turkish smartphones.
As a result of his speech, Vestel shares reportedly rose as much as 9%.
Apple, the first American company valued at a trillion dollars, makes a vast majority of its revenue from America and Europe.
The call for boycotts come amid increasing tension between the two countries over Turkey’s refusal to release North Carolina Christian pastor Andrew Brunson, who Turkey claims supported PKK Kurdish militants and assisted a Turkish cleric based in Pennsylvania, a man allegedly responsible for the attempted 2016 coup against Erdogan.
In retaliation for the Trump administration’s sanctions, pro-Turkish lawyers also called for the shut down of flights departing from Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, where the U.S. Air Force has a significant presence, and filed charges against U.S. military officers for allegedly having ties to terrorist organizations.