Turkey slams US move to end waivers on Iran oil imports

Sevil ERKUŞ – ANKARA

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has criticized the United States for imposing its decision of slapping sanctions on Iran to third countries, saying the U.S. administration’s attitude harms the international legal system.

“We support an international system and multilateralism established through legal rules. The fact that a country alone disrupts this and puts pressure on everyone to comply with its decisions is damaging and jeopardizing the international legal system,” he said on April 23, speaking at a joint presser with his Belgian counterpart Didier Reynders.

The U.S. move to end waiver on sanctions against importers of Iranian oil will include everyone, including Turkey, he said.

Turkey displays mutual attitude with the EU, the minister said, recalling the EU rejected the U.S. sanctions against Iran.

“Why are you putting pressure on other countries? Take your own measures. Why do other countries have to obey your unilateral decisions?” he asked.

The U.S. policy is “dangerous” and does not comply with diplomatic maturity, he stated.

Çavuşoğlu also criticized the U.S. for sending nearly 200 trucks of aid to the YPG in Deir ez-Zor region of Syria.

The U.S.’s arms support to the YPG is one of the elements that negatively influence ties between the two NATO allies, he said.

He stressed that each arm delivered to “terrorist groups will pose a threat to Syria and to Turkey as well.”

Turkey’s decision to launch a military operation in the east of River Euphrates is due to the very fact that the YPG increased its harassment against Turkey from this region, he added.