Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Tuesday said U.S. sanctions on Iran were "not right".
Following a parliamentary group meeting, Erdoğan told reporters: "We do not find the sanctions right. Because our opinion is that these sanctions aim at destroying the world's balance," said Erdoğan.
Erdoğan stressed that the U.S. sanctions on Iran contradict with the international law and diplomacy.
"We don't want to live in an imperialist world," he added.
Iran has been able to sell as much oil as it needs despite U.S. pressure, Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri was quoted as saying on Tuesday.The United States on Monday restored sanctions targeting Iran’s oil, banking and transport sectors and threatened more action to stop what Washington called its "outlaw" policies, steps Tehran called economic warfare and vowed to defy.The measures are part of a wider effort by U.S. President Donald Trump to curb Tehran’s missile and nuclear programmes and diminish the Islamic Republic’s influence in the Middle East, notably its support for proxies in Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.Oil markets are stable: Kuwait oil ministerTrump’s moves target Iran’s main source of revenue - its oil exports - as well as its financial sector, essentially making 50 Iranian banks and their subsidiaries off limits to foreign banks on pain of losing access to the U.S. financial system."The Americans constantly said they would reduce the sale of Iran’s oil to zero but I have to say that so far, we have been able to sell our required amounts of oil," the Tasnim news agency quoted Jahangiri as saying."The Americans, with the help of propaganda, don't see the realities."Turkish FM says dangerous to isolate IranJahangiri said he had spoken to a handful of managers from companies on the U.S. sanctions list and that some had already formulated plans on how to deal with the measures.Jahangiri also said officials should be open with the Iranian public about the difficulties that may lie ahead, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)."It is our duty to keep some of the worries to ourselves,” IRNA quoted Jahangiri as saying. "But there shouldn’t be an issue that is hidden from the people. This is the people’s right."US waiver allows China to buy 360,000 bpd of Iran oil for 180 daysTrump wary of sanctions effect on oil prices
Tehran able to sell as much oil as it needs despite US pressure: Iran's VP
Washington announced new sanctions on Monday targeting Iran's energy and financial sectors along with its shipping industry.
More than 700 individuals, entities, aircraft, and vessels were blacklisted, including 50 Iranian banks and their domestic and foreign subsidiaries.
The U.S. government granted China, Greece, India, Turkey, Italy, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan a 180-day waiver for importing Iranian oil, which eased worries of supply reduction in the global markets after the sanctions went into effect.
Turkey's foreign minister criticised on Tuesday the United States' renewal of sanctions on Iran's oil and shipping industries, saying it was dangerous to isolate Iran and unfair to punish its people, Anadolu news agency reported.Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu's comments to reporters in Japan came a day after the United States reimposed sanctions, abandoning a 2015 Iran nuclear deal, while temporarily allowing top customers including Turkey to keep buying crude from the Islamic Republic.Video: Turkish FM meets with Japanese Premier in TokyoSaudi Arabia should explain what happened to Khashoggi's bodySaudi Arabia bears responsibility to find out what happened to the body of Jamal Khashoggi, Çavuşoğlu said, reiterating Ankara's stance that it was not King Salman who ordered the killing.Turkey has further information which it will share when Ankara knows for sure that the investigation has been completed, he added.He also said it was not possible for a 15-man team to come to Turkey to kill a Saudi citizen without orders.Turkey has said that a 15-man security team flew in hours before the killing and carried it out. All these individuals, and three others, were arrested in Saudi Arabia.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed inside the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul after he went there to obtain documents for his forthcoming marriage.The Saudi government initially insisted Khashoggi had left the consulate, later saying he died in an unplanned "rogue operation". On Oct. 25, the kingdom's public prosecutor Saud Al Mojeb said the attack was premeditated.Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan said last week that Khashoggi was suffocated as soon as he entered the consulate, and his body then cut up and disposed of. Turkey has demanded cooperation from Saudi officials.UK, Canada say urgent need to resolve Khashoggi murderTrump wary of sanctions effect on oil prices
Turkish FM says dangerous to isolate Iran
Joint U.S.-SDF patrols near Syria border unacceptable
Erdoğan said that joint patrols between U.S. forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near the Turkish-Syrian border were unacceptable and he expected U.S. President Donald Trump to stop them.
Erdoğan, set to meet Trump in Paris this weekend, told reporters he would discuss the patrols carried out by the United States and the SDF, which would cause "serious negative developments" along the border.
The SDF is dominated by the YPG militia, which is the armed wing of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) terrorists and U.S. troops are seen during a patrol near the Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria on Nov. 4, 2018.US patrols near Turkish border with SDF terrorists
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'Turkey gains historical result against terrorism'
Turkey has made historic success against terror groups under our rule, Erdoğan said.
"Turkey has gained historic results against terror groups, gangs and drug dealers, and any other action targeting peace in our term [since 2002]," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, in an address to his Justice and Development (AK) Party's parliamentary group.
The AK Party won the November 2002 election with two-thirds of the seats in parliament. It became the first party to win an outright majority in over a decade.
The terrorist group YPG/PKK made a swap deal with terrorist Daesh to get back seven U.S. soldiers captured by Daesh in eastern Syria, local sources told Anadolu Agency. In Syria’s oil-rich eastern Deir ez-Zor province, the U.S. soldiers were detained in September during a clash between Daesh and the U.S.-backed YPG/PKK, the Syrian branch of the terrorist PKK, said the sources, who asked not to be named due to security concerns. With the help of local elements, Daesh and the YPG/PKK began negotiating on Sept. 28 over getting the soldiers back, the sources claimed.Syrian painter opens solo show in IstanbulDaesh pressed the YPG/PKK to withdraw from some oil wells including Azraq and allow the entry of some medical supplies as well as food items in some areas in return for releasing the U.S. troops.Under the deal between the two terrorist groups, the YPG/PKK withdrew from the wells and the U.S. got its soldiers. The medical supplies and food items have not been sent yet, according to the sources.Coalition denies claimsA spokesman for the U.S.-led international coalition forces denied the claim that Daesh had captured seven U.S. soldiers. “The coalition is not involved in any deal with ISIS,” said U.S. Col. Sean Ryan, using another acronym for Daesh.US begins patrols with SDF in northeast SyriaUS has admitted previous dealBut the YPG/PKK and Daesh have made previous deals that were reported on. Last November, the Pentagon defended a PKK/PYD deal to allow hundreds of Daesh terrorists to escape the besieged city of Raqqah. Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said the agreement, which reportedly allowed 250 fighters and 3,500 of their family members to flee on Oct. 12, was part of a “local solution to a local issue,” namely the siege of Daesh’s de facto capital in Syria. “The central priority here was the protection of civilian lives and the arrangement was reached by our partners and their local affiliates,” he told Anadolu Agency at the time. Since this Sept. 11, Daesh and the YPG/PKK have been trading blows, especially in Deir ez-Zor’s rural Hajin district, which is located in the east of the province. Despite getting support from both the U.S. and France, the YPG/PKK has consistently failed to make any gains, with the group only holding positions briefly before being forced to retreat in the face of fierce counterattacks by Daesh. According to the latest estimates, the YPG/PKK currently holds about 28 percent of Syria’s territory. Daesh, for its part, still maintains an active presence in three parts of Syria, accounting for roughly 3.3 percent of the country’s total territory. Calling the PYD/PKK-led umbrella group the SDF a "reliable partner" in its fight against Daesh, Washington continues to provide it with arms and equipment, even as Turkey stresses its terrorist identity. In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
YPG/PKK, Daesh allegedly made deal to swap US soldiers
To date 2,000 people have been arrested, 7,000 others deported and around 70,000 people denied entry to Turkey over their links to the Daesh terror group, Erdoğan said.
"[They include] 761 terrorists in the country, 1,092 in northern Iraq, 3,000 in Operation Euphrates Shield, and over 4,500 in Operation Olive Branch were neutralized in the operations since July 2016," he said.
Launched in 2016, Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield saw Turkish troops -- backed by the Free Syrian Army -- liberate large swathes of northwestern Syria from terrorist groups.
U.S. troops have begun patrols in northeastern Syria, a military official confirmed Monday.The patrols come after the Turkish military shelled several PKK/YPG positions in the region last week. The YPG is the Syrian branch of the PKK terror group.At a news conference, Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said the "assurance patrols" with SDF forces started Friday."While there is no set timetable for these specific patrols or regularity, these patrols will allow us, Turkey and our SDF partners to maintain the safety and security of the region," said Manning.On combined joint patrols that started with the Turkish military in Manbij, Manning said: "These patrols and our continued efforts to de-escalate tensions will allow us to focus on our goal of ensuring the enduring" defeat of Daesh.The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU.In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, it has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.Returning refugees killed in Syria: Lebanese ministerFrance issues arrest warrants for senior Syrian officials close to AssadSyrian tribes call for boycott of YPG/PKK in Raqqa
US begins patrols with SDF in northeast Syria
On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to free northwestern Syrian city of Afrin of YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists. On March 18, Turkish troops and the Free Syrian Army liberated the Afrin city center.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people, including those of women and children. The YPG is its Syrian branch.
At least 21 suspects were detained for extortion to help finance the PKK/KCK terror group after a huge dawn sweep across the Turkish capital Ankara, security sources said Tuesday.The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said the operation targeted 25 suspects in Altindag and Ulus districts, including ringleader Kasim B.The suspects were charged with extorting money from entertainment venues, taxi drivers and shopkeepers on behalf of the PKK/KCK terror group.Around 300 officers split into 60 teams targeted 35 addresses across the capital simultaneously. Operations are ongoing to nab the rest of the suspects.Turkey neutralizes 18 PKK terrorists over three days
Twenty-one held over extortion for PKK in Turkish capital