TEHRAN (Reuters) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday his country would not abide by US sanctions on Iran despite his foreign minister's comments that Ankara had asked for "exemptions" from Washington.
"US sanctions on Iran are aimed at disrupting the world's balance," Kharab Turk was quoted as saying. "He does not want to live in an imperial world.
The second round of US sanctions on Iran entered into force this week, targeting the country's vital oil and financial sectors.
The Turkish president's remarks appeared to contradict what Foreign Minister Mouloud Zhaoshoglu said on Tuesday, acknowledging Turkey had asked the United States to waive some of the sanctions on Iran.
"At the time we ask for an exemption from the United States, we were very frank with them that putting Iran in the corner is not wise," said Chaochoglu at a news conference during a visit to Japan.
Washington has eased eight countries, including Turkey and Japan, from abiding by sanctions and allowed it to continue importing Iranian oil without facing diplomatic consequences.
"Turkey is against sanctions and we do not think any outcome can be achieved through sanctions," he said. "I think that instead of sanctions, a meaningful dialogue is much more useful."
Turkey has a suspicious history of helping Iran overcome sanctions through money laundering, while a senior official of a Turkish government bank is in jail in the United States for his role in these activities.
Washington has imposed two rounds of sanctions this year and pulled out of a nuclear deal between Iran and the major powers in 2015, while the second batch entered into force on Monday.
Iranian President Hassan Rowhani stressed that his country would "proudly take pride in your sanctions", referring to illegal practices as long as Iran resorted to sanctions.
Washington has vowed to keep pressure on the Iranian regime "relentlessly" until it changes its "destabilizing" behavior in the Middle East.
