Turkish FM says ‘unwise, dangerous’ US sanctions on Iran don’t achieve results

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday criticized the US’ resumption of sanctions on Iran as unilateral, calling for dialogue and engagement instead. Cavusoglu, in Tokyo for talks with Japanese leaders, said that Ankara opposes sanctions because they don’t achieve results. “As a principle Turkey is against sanctions and we don’t believe that any result can be achieved through sanctions,” he said. “Cornering is not wise, isolating Iran is dangerous and punishing the Iranian people is not fair.” The resumption of US sanctions on Iran took effect on Monday. Turkey is a US ally and one of eight major importers of Iranian oil spared temporarily from immediate penalties. The US unilateral measure affects the world, including Turkey, one-third of whose gas imports come from Iran, Cavusoglu said, urging Washington to find other reasonable solutions, according to AFP.