CHP: US Anti-Iran Sanctions Counterproductive

US unilateral sanctions against Turkish businesses working with Iran seem to be unlawful and counterproductive since attempts to exert political pressure on Ankara and Tehran through economic restrictions will likely to fail, Ozturk Yilmaz, the Turkish opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy chair, told Sputnik on Friday.

کد خبر: ۸۰۲۶۵۷

تاریخ: ۰۵ خرداد ۱۳۹۷ - ۰۸:۳۷

"I don’t know how legitimate and how lawful these unilateral sanctions of the United States [are]. I think it must be based on international legitimacy, that means the UN Security Council resolution. Unilateral steps concerning imposing sanctions are always counterproductive," Yilmaz said.

Yilmaz also cast doubt that the sanctions imposed on Iranian and Turkish companies would somehow be "instrumental in persuading those countries to do what the United States wants them to do," adding that restrictions are not a helpful foreign policy instrument.

The politician, however, expressed hope that the situation would not lead to a spree of tit-for-tat sanctions, and the sides would reach a compromise.

According to Yilmaz, the sanctions would produce a minor impact on Turkish businesses working with Iran.

"As for the impact on Turkish companies, I think sanctions will have limited impact on Turkish companies which have ties with Iranian companies," Yilmaz noted.

He also shared his general assessment of the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, characterizing it as a dangerous step, which had not contributed to peace in the region.

On Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on nine individuals and entities for procuring US origin goods for sanctioned Iranian airlines. Turkish citizen Gulnihal Yegane and a network of firms based in Istanbul, including Trigron Lojistik, RA Havacilik and 3G Lojistik, are among those affected by new restrictions.

On May 8, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington pulled out of the 2015 nuclear agreement, formerly known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which obliges Iran to maintain a peaceful nature of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Additionally, Trump pledged to re-impose all the sanctions on Tehran that were lifted as part of the deal.