Turkey rejects US sanctions on Iran's oil, FM Cavuşoğlu says

Ankara criticized a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump not to reissue waivers in May allowing importers, including Turkey, to buy Iranian oil without facing U.S. sanctions, Trend reported citing Daily Sabah.

"The #US decision to end sanctions waivers on #Iran oil imports will not serve regional peace and stability, yet will harm Iranian people," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter after the White House announced the decision.

"#Turkey rejects unilateral sanctions and impositions on how to conduct relations with neighbors," he added.

Later, commenting on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggesting Saudi Arabia and the UAE as alternatives to Iranian oil, the minister said:

"Pushing (us) to buy oil from countries other than Iran is going too far."

Following a joint news conference with his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Aslov in the Turkish capital Ankara, Cavusoglu said it was ethically "wrong" to suggest them as alternatives as the U.S. has close ties with those countries.

"This violates the regulations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and poses a risk to stability in the region," he added.