Turkey says working to avoid repercussions of US sanctions on Iran

Turkey's Foreign Ministry says the country's officials are working to prevent Ankara from being negatively affected by the US move to re-impose nuclear sanctions against Iran in the wake of Washington's withdrawal from a historic nuclear deal signed between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015.

The ministry made the announcement in a statement on Friday after a US delegation of Treasury and State Department officials held talks with Turkish authorities in Ankara on upcoming Washington's sanctions against Tehran.

US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from a nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015.

The US president also said that he planned to reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Read more:

• Europeans must give necessary guarantees on JCPOA: Ayatollah Khamenei
• Nuclear deal remains diplomatic triumph despite US exit: Iran FM
• China puts forward five-point proposal to save Iran nuclear deal: FM spokeswoman
• Nuclear deal parties resolved to stand up to US departure: Iran FM

The Turkish foreign ministry's statement further emphasized that Iran was an important neighbor for Turkey and that Ankara would continue to monitor the US sanctions within this framework.

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 onward.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that the Islamic Republic has lodged a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the United States' "unlawful" move to re-impose "unilateral" sanctions against Tehran.

PressTV-Iran files complaint with ICJ over US bans: Zarif

The Iranian foreign minister says Tehran files a complaint with the ICJ over the unlawful US move to re-impose unilateral sanctions.

"Today Iran filed a complaint [with] @CIJ_ICJ to hold US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions," Zarif said in a post on his official Twitter account on Monday.

Late last month, however, Ankara said it remained determined to maintain trade ties with Iran.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on June 29 that his country remains determined to maintain trade ties with Iran.

PressTV-Turkey vows to keep Iran ties despite US pressures

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.  

"If the United States' decisions are aimed at peace and stability, then we'll support them, but we don't have to follow every decision. Being allies doesn't mean following every decision word for word," Cavusoglu told the Turkish broadcaster NTV in an interview.

Iran has been Turkey's leading supplier of crude oil for most of the past two decades, ceding first place to Iraq only for three years during the recent period of US sanctions.

Imports last year came to 11.493 million tonnes, or 44.6% of the total supply, at an average of 230,800 barrels per day (bpd), up 66% from the 6.939 million tonnes supplied in 2016, according to reports.

Iranian First Vice President Es'haq Jahangiri said on July 10 that the upcoming US move to re-impose sanctions on Iran will create "difficult conditions" for the country but the Islamic Republic will forcefully resist against the United States' economic war.

PressTV-Iran vows strong resistance against US economic war

The Iranian first vice president says Iran will forcefully resist against the United States' economic war after the re-imposition of sanctions.

"Given the enemy's economic war, we will face new and difficult conditions and must stand against this war with full power," Jahangiri said.

His remarks came a day after Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the three major European signatories to the landmark nuclear deal with Iran had agreed to establish trade ties with Iran independent of the US dollar.

PressTV-EU3 to open dollarless trade with Iran: Russia

The Russian foreign minister says Britain, France and Germany will establish trade ties with Iran independent of the US dollar.

Lavrov said the decision by France, Germany and Britain would mainly concern small and medium-sized companies.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir