Tehran: Turkey had played a key role in making the sanctions on Iran ineffective during 2015 controversial nuclear programme. It had helped Iran in all possible ways.
Analysts Vali Gul Mohammed in his review has said that in the past also Turkey had tried to ease the pressure of economic sanctions against Iran and benefited Tehran by 20 million dollars.
While criticizing Trump’s move to withdraw from the nuclear pact Turkey has publicly resisted the U.S. call to cut oil imports from Iran. Turkey has announced that it will be continuing its natural gas trade with Iran in accordance with a long-term contract inked with Tehran. Minister Dönmez’s remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump warned countries of doing business with Iran after Washington reimposed stiff economic sanctions on Iran on Monday.
Iran is Ankara’s key supplier of natural gas and oil purchases. According to the annual natural gas report of Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA), Turkey imported a total of 9.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Iran last year, which accounted for 16 per cent of the country’s total gas imports. Turkey’s gas imports from Iran totalled 7.7 billion cubic meters and 7.8 billion cubic meters in 2016 and 2015, respectively.