U.S. aims to harm Turkey - Iran relations

Washington wants to damage relations between Ankara and Tehran, an Iranian envoy said yesterday ahead of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns’ talks with Turkish officials.
The U.S. aims to harm relations between Turkey and Iran, Iranian envoy Bahman Hosseinpour said ahead of the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns’ talks with Turkish officials yesterday.

“They try to destroy relations between Turkey and Iran. But, as Turkey and Iran have yet to develop their relations, those ties became unshakeable by any winds,” the Iranian ambassador said in a press conference yesterday. However, he said, Turkey and Iran were “saying good words to each other, but it was time to put these into action.”

Burns was to hold talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu last night. Burns’ visit to Turkey coincides with growing concerns over an armed conflict between Iran and the U.S. in the Strait of Hormuz, after Washington issued a series of sanctions against Iran which would penalize foreign financial institutions who do business with Iran’s Central Bank.

The U.S. measures could affect Turkey’s energy trade with Iran and may be an issue during talks, a Turkish diplomat told Daily News. Ankara considers seeking exemption from the U.S. sanctions.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani will visit Turkey on Jan. 11, and the Iranian foreign minister will attend joint economic commission meetings Jan. 18 in Turkey.


/Hurriyet Daily News/