Turkey says it will not abide by US sanctions

President Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday Turkey would not abide by the renewed US sanctions on Iran’s oil and shipping industries, adding that they were aimed at “unbalancing the world”.

The comments came a day after Washington reimposed sanctions on Iran, abandoning a 2015 deal between world powers and Iran over its nuclear programme. The US measures temporarily allow some major customers, including Turkey, to continue buying Iranian crude.

Speaking to reporters in parliament, the Turkish president attacked the sanctions.

“These are steps aimed at unbalancing the world. We don’t want to live in an imperialist world. These issues will be put on the table at the summit (this weekend) in Paris,” Erdogan said.

“We will absolutely not abide by such sanctions. We buy 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas. We cannot freeze our people in the cold.” Speaking in Japan earlier yesterday, Turkey’s foreign minister said it would be dangerous to isolate Iran, adding that it was not easy for countries like Turkey and Japan to diversify energy supplies.