“US addiction to sanctions and contempt for international law at full display again. We strongly condemn recent US sanctions against Turkey and stand with its people and government,” Zarif tweeted on Tuesday.
The sanctions were announced late on Monday on Turkey’s top defense procurement and development body Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), its chairman Ismail Demir and three other Turkish defense officials, namely Mustafa Alper Deniz, Serhat Gencoglu and Faruk Yigit.
“The United States made clear to Turkey at the highest levels and on numerous occasions that its purchase of the S-400 system would endanger the security of US military technology and personnel and provide substantial funds to Russia’s defense sector,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
Briefing reporters, Christopher Ford, Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation, said Washington had sought a solution but Ankara rejected all offers.
“This is not a step we’ve taken lightly or certainly quickly,” he asserted.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry, in return, called the decision “inexplicable” given that Ankara has repeatedly proposed forming a joint working group with Washington to allay the latter’s concerns that S-400 missile systems threatened NATO defenses, but its offers have not been fully utilized.