According to Turkish Daily Sabah, following a meeting with a US delegation comprised of Treasury and State Department officials on Friday in Ankara to discuss upcoming US sanctions against Iran, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “Iran was an important neighbor for "economic and commercial relations as well as our energy imports," adding “Ankara would continue to monitor US sanctions within this framework.”
"Relevant authorities are working for Turkey not to be negatively affected by the measures," the Turkish Foreign Ministry statement added.
Turkey imported 3 million tons of crude oil from Iran in the first four months of 2018, making up 55 percent of crude supplies and 27 percent of its total energy imports, Daily Sabah report added.
On May 8, the United Stated unlawfully withdrew from Iran nuclear deal also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reinstating its unilateral sanctions. The other signatories to the JCPOA, namely Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany, have strongly objected to the US’s withdrawal, and vowed to make every effort to preserve the deal by providing a mechanism to safeguard Iran's economic interests.
KI/PR