Erdogan: Turkey Will Not Abide by US Iran Sanctions

Local Editor

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday said Turkey would not abide by the renewed US sanctions on Iran's oil and shipping industries, adding that they were aimed at "unbalancing the world."

Erdogan’s comments came a day after Washington re-imposed sanctions on Iran, abandoning a 2015 deal between world powers and Iran over its nuclear program.

The measures temporarily allow some major customers, including Turkey, to continue buying Iranian crude oil.

Speaking to reporters in parliament, Erdogan attacked the sanctions.

"These are steps aimed at unbalancing the world. We don't want to live in an imperialist world. These issues will be put on the table at the summit [this weekend] in Paris," he said.

"We will absolutely not abide by such sanctions. We buy 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas. We cannot freeze our people in the cold."

Speaking in Japan earlier Tuesday, Turkish foreign minister said it would be dangerous to isolate Iran, adding that it was not easy for countries like Turkey and Japan to diversify energy supplies.

"We do not believe any result can be reached with sanctions. I think meaningful dialogue and talks are more useful than sanctions," Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team