An unusual incident occurred during Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s speech at the UN. Specifically, the Turkish president’s microphone went “silent” while he was speaking against Israel, sparking reactions in Turkey regarding whether this was intentional or not. The incident happened during the “International Conference on Finding a Solution to the Palestinian Issue and Implementation of the Two-State Solution” on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and the Turkish president’s microphone went silent after five minutes from the start of his speech, preventing the audience from hearing Erdogan complete his remarks.
Before the audio was cut, Erdogan had said that “a major humanitarian catastrophe has been happening in our region for almost two years due to the increasing attacks by the Israeli government. The massacre in Gaza, which has cost the lives of over 65,000 people, continues with full intensity. No one with a conscience can accept what is happening. They cannot remain silent in the face of such genocide.”
The audio was cut while Erdogan was saying “from now on there must be a ceasefire, humanitarian aid must reach Gaza without obstacles, and Israel must withdraw its forces from Gaza….”
Video from the moment Erdogan’s microphone “went silent”
After Erdogan accused Israel of genocide from the UN podium, the sound was cut off, and Turkish media claim this is a “deliberate sabotage”. pic.twitter.com/PLlQr5ShEp
— Sprinter Express (@SprinterExpres0) September 23, 2025
Media claims “sabotage” against Erdogan despite Turkish presidency explanation
The Turkish presidency’s Communications Directorate clarified in a statement that Erdogan’s microphone went silent automatically, as there is a five-minute time limit for speeches by heads of state and government and three minutes for other speakers. “Our President’s speech was limited to 5 minutes within this framework. Therefore, there is no question of our President not being allowed to speak or his words being interrupted,” the Turkish presidency statement said, explaining that Erdogan’s speech exceeded the time limit because it “was interrupted periodically by applause,” causing the microphone to automatically shut off at the five-minute mark. It also noted that Indonesia’s president faced a similar automatic microphone interruption based on the same procedural rules.
But despite the official explanation, some Turkish media outlets suggested that the incident may have been sabotage against Erdogan, although no evidence has been presented to support these claims.
