Turkey Not Willing to See Iran Face Any Unfair Action, Official Says of US Sanctions
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Turkish cabinet minister said his country is not going to stop buying oil from Iran at Washington’s request, adding that Ankara will “pay attention” so that Iran will not face any unfair actions.
The United States’ demand to stop trading oil with Iran is not binding for Turkey, Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said on Wednesday, according to Hurriyet Daily News.
The US has told countries to cut all imports of Iranian oil by November and is unlikely to offer any exemptions, a senior US Department of State official said on June 26 as the Donald Trump administration ramps up pressure on allies to cut off funding to Iran.
“The decisions taken by the United States on this issue are not binding for us. Of course, we will follow the United Nations on its decision. Other than this, we will only follow our own national interests. In addition, we will pay attention so our friend Iran will not face any unfair actions,” Zeybekci said.
On May 8, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany), and announced plans for new sanctions against Tehran.
Following the US exit, Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the accord.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has underlined that any decision to keep the JCPOA running without the US should be conditional on “practical guarantees” from the Europeans.
