Turkey’s President Assails U.S. Over Indictment of Ex-Minister

ANKARA, Turkey — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on Friday criticized the United States over the indictment of a former Turkish economy minister who was accused of helping Iran evade United States sanctions, depicting the charges as a political move against his country.

Speaking to reporters before departing for a visit to Kazakhstan, Mr. Erdogan also criticized a separate indictment against Turkish security officials accused of attacking demonstrators during his visit to Washington in the spring.

He said the handling of the episode demonstrated the “weakness” of the United States government. “I assess the step taken against our former economy minister as a step against the Turkish Republic,” Mr. Erdogan said.

This week’s indictment of the former minister, Zafer Caglayan, has heightened already tense relations between Turkey and the United States. The case is part of a widening American investigation over Iran’s efforts to evade sanctions and involves a Turkish-Iranian gold trader and Turkish officials.

Turkey is angered by American support for a Syrian Kurdish militia, which it considers to be a terrorist organization, and complains of a lack of support from the United States, a NATO ally, after a coup attempt last year.

In addition, a Senate committee on Thursday voted to block the United States government from supporting weapons sales to security forces protecting Mr. Erdogan after the episode in which his bodyguards used violence against protesters during his Washington visit.

Mr. Erdogan called on American authorities to “review” the decision to indict Mr. Caglayan, saying the former minister had not engaged in any wrongdoing because Turkey had not imposed sanctions on Iran, an important trade partner. He said he would take up the issue with American officials when he attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York this month. Mr. Caglayan remains in Turkey.

On the indictment of his security personnel, Mr. Erdogan again accused American security officials of not taking any steps to protect him from the demonstrators, who he said were members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, also known as the P.K.K. He said two female security officials who were protecting the Turkish first lady and were not present at the incident were also indicted.

“This demonstrates the weakness that the U.S. has fallen into,” Mr. Erdogan said. “You might be a great nation but to be a just state is something else.”