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Turkey warns US its Iran sanctions are ‘dangerous’
TOKYO, Nov 6, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Turkey has warned Washington against its new
sanctions on Iran, saying isolating the Islamic Republic is “dangerous”,
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday.
Washington this week imposed a second set of sanctions on Iran that aim to
isolate the country’s banking sector and slash its oil exports.
Eight countries including Turkey have received a US waiver to continue
importing Iranian oil.
“While we were asking (for) an exemption from the United States, we have
also been very frank with them that cornering Iran is not wise. Isolating
Iran is dangerous and punishing the Iranian people is not fair,” he said at a
press conference during a trip to Japan.
“Turkey is against sanctions, we don’t believe any results can be achieved
through the sanctions,” he added.
“I think instead of sanctions, meaningful dialogue and engagement is much
more useful.”
Washington has imposed two sets of sanctions this year after pulling out of
a nuclear pact agreed between world powers and Iran that President Donald
Trump slammed as “defective”.
The latest round went into effect on Monday.
Washington has granted eight countries, including Turkey and Japan, waivers
to allow them to continue importing Iranian oil without facing diplomatic
consequences.
The new sanctions have sparked furious reactions from Iran, whose President
Hassan Rouhani said the country would “proudly bypass your illegal, unjust
sanctions”.
On Monday, Washington vowed to be “relentless” in countering Iran, with
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying the US wanted Iran to make a “180-
degree turn” and abandon its “current revolutionary course”.
UN inspectors say Iran is abiding by an agreement reached with Trump’s
predecessor Barack Obama to draw down its nuclear programme. That deal was
backed by European powers, Russia and China and sealed by a UN Security
Council resolution.
Those other parties to the nuclear deal have vehemently opposed the US move
and vowed to keep alive the accord, technically known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action.
BSS/AFP/GMR/1223 hrs