Great satan US sends team to close ally Turkey to discuss Iran sanctions
Turkey says it expects a delegation from the United States which it says would discuss sanctions against Iran.
“A US delegation currently holding talks in India will be visiting Ankara on Friday regarding sanctions against Iran,” a Turkish Foreign Ministry official told Reuters, adding that the delegation would be comprised of representatives from the US Treasury Department and State Department.
“The delegation will meet with related institutions, including from the foreign and finance ministries,” the official added.
A US Embassy spokesman confirmed the talks and their subject.
Turkey says it remains determined to maintain trade ties with Iran in an apparent defiance against a purported plan by the US to urge all nations to cut imports of Iranian oil from November.
Back in May, the US pulled out of a multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran, and said it would be reinstating its nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran.
The other signatories to the accord, namely Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany have strongly objected to the US’s withdrawal and vowed to try to preserve the deal.
Washington has said it would be returning the sanctions in August and threatened the countries that maintain business with Iran despite the bans with “secondary sanctions.”
It has also warned countries against keeping up their crude purchases from Iran from November 4 onwards.
Late last month, however, Ankara said it remained determined to maintain trade ties with Iran.
On Thursday, Britain’s Daily Express said South Korea would likely seek exemptions from Iran oil bans.
It cited Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha as saying during a breakfast seminar at Chatham House in London that she hoped that the bans against Iran “could be circumvented.”
Meanwhile, Japan’s media reported that the country’s oil distributors were preparing to suspend imports of the Iranian crude oil.
Nikkei cited Japanese banks as saying that they had notified oil distributors that they would stop settling Iran-related transactions starting this summer “unless there is progress in government negotiations.”
