Erdogan condemns move: Zarif says Iran stands with Turkey
\nTLTP
\nWASHINGTON
\nThe US government imposed sanctions on Turkey over the acquisition and testing of the S-400 Russian defence missile system, further straining relations between the two NATO members.
\nThe State Department announced the sanctions under the Countering America\u2019s Adversaries through Sanctions Act, passed by Congress in 2017. It is designed to penalise any significant transactions with Russia. The estimated cost of the S-400 missile system is $2.5 billion.
\nDespite pressure from Congress, the Trump administration delayed sanctions on Ankara, even after the country installed the Russian system in July 2019 and began testing it in October.
\n\u201cToday\u2019s action sends a clear signal that the US will fully implement Caatsa Section 231 and will not tolerate significant transactions with Russia\u2019s defence and intelligence sectors,\u201d Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
\nPompeo said Turkey \u201cknowingly [engaged] in a significant transaction with Rosoboronexport, Russia\u2019s main arms export entity, by procuring the S-400 surface-to-air missile system\u201d.
\nThe sanctions include a ban on all US export licences and authorisations to Turkey\u2019s Presidency of Defence Industries, Ankara\u2019s military procurement agency, and an asset freeze and visa restrictions on Ismail Demir, its president, and other officers.
\nChristopher Ford, assistant secretary of state for international security, said the sanctions barred the Presidency of Defence Industries from obtaining US export licences.
\nMr Ford said they prohibited it from receiving US loans of more than $10 million, banned assistance from the Export-Import Bank of the US and required Washington to use its influence with international financial institutions to block loans to the agency.
\n\u201cI would in no way underestimate the importance of cutting off the main military procurement entity of a military ally from items coming from the US defence industrial base,\u201d he said.
\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out at new US sanctions, saying that he expected backing from his country\u2019s NATO ally, not punishment. In a speech on Monday, Erdogan said that Turkey would not be deterred in defending itself by either US sanctions, or those agreed by the EU in response to the country\u2019s gas drilling in Mediterranean waters claimed by Cyprus.
\n\u201cWe expect support from our NATO ally, America, in our fight against terrorist organisations and forces … not sanctions,\u201d Erdogan said.
\nA spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Ankara \u201ccondemns\u201d the sanctions and said allegations that its new weaponry could jeopardize NATO systems are \u201cdevoid of any technical merit.\u201d
\nHe added that Ankara would \u201ctake the necessary steps\u201d against what it called a \u201cgrave mistake\u201d by the US, while also claiming that President Donald Trump had previously repeatedly admitted that Turkey\u2019s acquisition of the S-400 was \u201cjustified.\u201d
\nIran\u2019s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that Iran condemns US sanctions against regional rival Turkey and stands \u201cwith its people in government\u201d in the face of Washington\u2019s pressure.
\nIn a damning tweet on Tuesday, Zarif said the US showed its \u201caddiction to sanctions and contempt for international law\u201d by targeting Turkey, and expressed support for the country.
\nIt was a rare gesture of solidarity between two neighbors that rarely get along. Iran and Turkey are on opposing side of Islam\u2019s sectarian divisions and have clashed on a range of issues, most visibly in Syria, where they support competing parties of the protracted civil war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Erdogan condemns move: Zarif says Iran stands with Turkey TLTP WASHINGTON The US government imposed sanctions on Turkey over the acquisition and testing of the S-400 Russian defence missile system, further straining relations between the two NATO members. The State Department announced the sanctions under the Countering America\u2019s Adversaries through Sanctions Act, passed by Congress […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":162217,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-162268","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n