PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan was combative yesterday in the face of US tariffs being placed on Turkish aluminium and steel exports, threatening to boycott US-made electronic goods.

He suggested that Turkey would stop procuring US-made iPhones and buy Korean Samsung or Turkish-made Vestel devices instead.

Mr Erdogan also renewed a call for Turks to exchange their dollars for the Turkish lira to help strengthen the country’s plummeting currency.

Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said the government was working on steps to help banks and support companies affected by the currency crisis.

“We will make all kinds of preparations from A to Z,” he said, without elaboration.

However, industrialists’ group Tusiad and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges urged diplomatic efforts to resolve the spat with the US and improve relations with the European Union, which is Turkey’s major trading partner.