Hassan Rouhani in Türkiye: US actions against Iran are 100% terrorist
On Thursday, December 19, the presidents of Turkey and Iran held a joint press conference, strongly criticizing US sanctions against Tehran and emphasizing the continuation of trade relations between the two neighboring countries.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who is traveling to Turkey at the head of a high-level delegation, protested the US sanctions in this press conference, calling it a "terrorist" act.
Mr. Rouhani said: "The US action against Iran is 100 percent terrorist because it intimidates other countries and companies and scares them from implementing free trade."
According to the Iranian President, the US sanctions are "contrary" to international regulations and UN Security Council Resolution 2231, as this resolution "is binding and requires all countries to create a favorable trading environment with Iran."
Resolution 2231 was passed by the Security Council following an agreement between Iran and world powers on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, which lifted nuclear sanctions against Tehran.
Continuing his remarks on Thursday, Hassan Rouhani welcomed the development of relations with Türkiye and praised Mr. Erdogan's positions regarding US sanctions.
He also said at the meeting of the Supreme Council for Iran-Turkey Strategic Relations: "The Islamic Republic of Iran has always stood by the people and government of Turkey in difficult times, and today we are happy that in the conditions of the illegal and cruel sanctions imposed by the US government against Iran, the government and nation of Turkey also stand by the Islamic Republic of Iran."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced support for Iran against sanctions, stating that Ankara wants to increase its bilateral trade relations with Tehran from the current $11 billion to $30 billion.
Following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal between world powers and Iran on May 8, US sanctions against Tehran returned in full force in mid-November, which has led to the suspension of the activities of many large foreign companies in Iran.
The second and final round of these sanctions also includes Iranian oil, but at this stage, the United States has temporarily exempted a number of its allies to gradually reduce their dependence on Iranian oil.
Turkey is among these countries and can buy Iranian oil for up to six months. The other seven countries included in this exemption are China, India, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Greece and Taiwan.
Turkey, however, has called for a permanent exemption from US oil sanctions on Iran, saying it cannot find alternative sources of Iranian oil imports. At the same time, Ankara has consistently stated its opposition to the return of sanctions on Iran.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan also emphasized in his statements on Thursday that Ankara will not support these sanctions and will stand with Iran.
"US sanctions [against Iran] endanger the security and stability of the region, and we do not support them. We continue to stand with the Iranian people in brotherly solidarity," he said.
Source: Radio Farda
