TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Tukey’s energy minister Fatih Donmez has said that buying natural gas from Iran will continue despite the risk of U.S. sanctions.
In an interview with Turkish Heber Turk TV, the Turkish minister said that his country’s imports of natural gas from Iran is based on a long-term contract that will continue until 2026, and Turkey will continue its business with its neighbor based in accordance with the provisions of the agreement.
Donmez said that Turkey imports 9.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually and it cannot leave Turkish citizens without gas and electricity.
Referring to the risk of U.S. sanctions against Iran, he said that the U.S. unilateral bans have caused problems for European countries as well and Turkey's legitimate trade with its neighbor should be taken into account by the United States.
On May 8, the U.S. President Donald Trump unlawfully pulled out of Iran nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on the country. He has called on countries not to trade with Iran while other different countries, including other signatories to the deal, have vowed to resist U.S. pressures. Turkey has already declared that it will not abide by the U.S. unilateral sanctions against its neighbor.