Brunson was arrested after being accused of being involved in the failed July 2016 military coup (AFP)
American officials have issued a new threat against Turkey as diplomatic tensions continue to mount over the Turkish detention of US pastor Andrew Brunson.
Speaking on Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said that US sanctions on Turkey showed America is "very serious" about the release of the American pastor.
Brunson, who led a Protestant church in the Aegean city of Izmir, was placed under house arrest last week following nearly two years in jail on charges of espionage and supporting terror groups.
Since then, Washington hit two top Turkish officials with sanctions over Brunson's detention, prompting Ankara to threaten reciprocal measures.
Pompeo made the comments before he met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at a regional security forum in Singapore on Friday for the first time since the diplomatic crisis began.
"The Turks were on notice that…it was time for Pastor Brunson to be returned," Pompeo told reporters in Singapore.
"Brunson needs to come home, as do all the Americans being held by the Turkish government.
"They've been holding these folks for a long time. These are innocent people. "
On the sanctions, he said: "I hope they'll see this for what it is, a demonstration that we're very serious."
Following the 40-minute meeting, Cavusoglu described the meeting with Pompeo as constructive.
"We repeated also today that we can't solve anything with threats and sanctions. I believe this is now well understood," Cavusoglu said in a statement.
"Of course it is not possible to solve every problem in one meeting, but we agreed on working closely on the matter."
Wednesday's measures block the assets of Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu in the US and prohibit American citizens from "engaging in transactions with them".
Turkey's foreign ministry previously said it would retaliate against Washington's decision, calling it a "hostile stance". It urged Trump to reconsider the sanctions.
"We call on the US administration to walk back from this wrong decision," the Turkish foreign ministry said.
Four of the largest Turkish political parties, the AKP, MHP, CHP and Iyi Party, released a joint statement condemning the sanctions, declaring that Turkey has the right to retaliate.
In a statement announcing the sanctions, the US Department of the Treasury said Gul and Soylu are the leaders of organisations that have engaged in "serious human rights abuse".
"Pastor Brunsons unjust detention and continued prosecution by Turkish officials is simply unacceptable," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. "President Trump has made it abundantly clear that the United States expects Turkey to release him immediately."
The Turkish lira, which has been in decline against the dollar for most of 2018, fell to a record low of five to the dollar on Wednesday after dropping 1.7 per cent following the sanctions announcement.
Two Turkish employees of US consulates in Turkey are also currently in jail on terror charges, and another is under house arrest, while several Americans have been caught up in the crackdown that followed a failed 2016 coup.
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