Download Umit Yardim said that Turkey supports the expansion of all

Turkish envoy: U.S.-EU sanction won’t impact Iran-Turkey ties
The Turkish ambassador to Tehran has defended trade ties with Iran, saying the U.S. and the EU’s
unilateral sanctions against Iran’s oil sector will not affect Tehran-Ankara ties.
Umit Yardim said that Turkey supports the expansion of all-out ties with
Iran, reiterating that neither sanctions nor any other measures could affect
relations between the two states.
He said that the volume of trade transactions between the two countries
stood at USD 16.2 billion in 2011, which reflected a 50 and 150 percent of
growth compared to 2010 and 2009, respectively.
The envoy said that the rising volume of transactions between the two
countries over the past three years proved that unilateral sanctions have
failed to show an impact on Tehran-Ankara relations.
He condemned the U.S. and EU oil sanctions against Iran as unjustifiable
and said oil is a strategic commodity and a vital source of energy.
On the New Year’s Eve, the United States imposed new sanctions against
Iran aimed at preventing other countries from importing Iran’s oil and
doing transactions with its central bank.
European Union foreign ministers also approved sanctions against Iran on
January 23, including a ban on Iranian oil imports, a freeze on the assets
of the country’s Central Bank within EU states and a ban on selling
diamonds, gold, and other precious metals to Tehran.
The United States, the Israeli regime and some of their allies have
repeatedly accused Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear
energy program, using the false pretext to impose sanctions against Iran.
Iran has rejected the allegations, arguing that as a committed signatory to
the NPT and a member of the IAEA, it has the right to use nuclear
technology for peaceful use. Tehran has also challenged the silence and
inaction of the UN and IAEA with respect to Israeli nuclear program and
its implied possession of atomic warheads, repeatedly calling for total
abolishment of all nuclear arms.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali
Khamenei reiterated recently during a Tehran Friday prayer sermon that
Iran has never sought and will never seek nuclear weapons and considers
the possession of such arms as a great sin, useless and destructive.
3/1/2012 9:15:00 AM
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