ERDOGAN VOWS TO DEFY US THREATS

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Saturday to defy US ''threats'' over a detained pastor, showing no signs of concessions in a bitter row that has caused the Turkish Lira to crash.

The Turkish President also said his country's partnership with the United States may be in jeopardy, warning Ankara could start looking for new allies in an op-ed in the New York Times.

Relations between the two Nato allies have sunk to their lowest point in decades over a string of issues including the detention of US pastor Andrew Brunson on terror-related charges, prompting the Turkish Lira to hit record lows against the dollar.

The embattled lira tumbled 16 percent against the dollar on Friday, falling further when US President Donald Trump said he had doubled steel and aluminium tariffs on Turkey.

''It is wrong to dare bring Turkey to its knees through threats over a pastor,'' Erdogan said in the Black sea town of Unye.

''Shame on you, shame on you,' he said in remarks directly addressed to Washington. ''You are exchanging your strategic partner in Nato for a priest.'

Trump announced the punitive doubling of tariffs on Twitter, saying, ''Our relations with Turkey are not good at this time!''

The White house has said the newly-imposed sanctions would take effect from August 13.

But Erdogan downplayed the currency crisis, advising Turks to show solidarity by converting any stashed-away gold or foreign currency to Turkish lira in a bid to wage ''a war of independence'' against America.

'' If they have the dollar, we have Allah,'' he said.

And he brushed off the tariffs. [AFP]