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Iran sets up trade vehicle with Turkey as Saudi, UAE send flood aid

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said relations with Turkey are the best they’ve been in decades, while Rouhani struck a conciliatory tone amid Saudi and Emirati flood aid.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (C) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (2L) give a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, on April 17, 2019. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP)        (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran and Turkey have set up a special transaction channel in order to bypass US sanctions on Iran, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Zarif, who was in Ankara meeting with Turkish officials, spoke on April 18 to Iranian reporters afterward. “It must be said that — regarding bilateral relations — our friends in Turkey have always opposed anti-Iranian sanctions,” Zarif said. He added, “Also, they are opposed to America’s illegal action against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC], which we appreciate and are thankful for.” The United States reimposed sanctions on Iran after US President Donald Trump decided to exit the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, which was one of former US President Barack Obama’s foreign policy achievements. The United States this month also designated the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization — an unprecedented move against the armed forces of a foreign country.

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