Ankara will not uphold Washington’s sanctions against Tehran and will continue its trade with the country, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Sputnik on Thursday.
“We will not support any sanctions. Yes, of course [we will continue trade] with Iran, with Russia, with others. Turkey is a sovereign independent country. If this is UN sanctions—we will join. Otherwise, we don’t,” Cavusoglu said, when asked if Turkey planned to join US restrictions targeting the Iranian oil sector.
The foreign minister’s remarks follow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan telling Reuters on Wednesday that Turkey would continue to purchase natural gas from Iran despite US sanctions.
Sanctions were reimposed against Iran in May after US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the nuclear deal. Sanctions had been eased in 2015 in compliance with the agreement.
Trump said at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that "additional sanctions will resume November 4, and more will follow".
