US Angered by Turkey's Growing Cooperation with Iran

Despite western efforts to pressure Iran over its civilian nuclear program, Turkey has deepened trade and financial relations with Tehran. A Turkish state bank recently helped transfer a multi-billion-dollar payment to Iran. The deal comes in the face of Washington's calls on Ankara to stop cooperation. 

The Turkish state-owned Halkbank recently has helped India transfer part of a $5 billion payment to Iran for oil deliveries. The Indian payment had been delayed by increasingly tightening Western sanctions on Iran. The West suspects Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its program is for peaceful energy development. 

In a recent a visit to Turkey, senior US treasury official Roger Cohen spelled out Washington's concerns. "As trade increases, as financial ties expand, it runs counter to the international community's desire to constrain Iran and to ensure the choice that has been put to the Iranian leadership between continued defiance and integration with the international community, is as sharp as possible," he said. 

Cohen alleged that Iran's Mellat bank, which operates in Turkey, is helping to foster Tehran's nuclear program. Despite Western calls for its activities to be restricted, the Turkish branch recently announced increased profits and growth. 

Washington has reportedly warned Turkish banks operating in the US that they could face prosecution if they violate Iran sanctions. According to a diplomatic source, at least one Turkish bank is under investigation by US authorities. 

But Ankara has mostly refused to abide by sanctions on Iran. Bilateral trade has continued to grow. 

Turkish politician Volkan Bozkir, who heads the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, dismisses US threats. 

"Countries should be careful in warning Turkey [that] it's not the country of 10 years ago. Is there any rule in the world that the US can impose any sanctions without any UN support or legal institutions? It's only the U. which can impose sanctions. We will abide by the UN sanctions." 

Iran and Turkey have in recent years increased their cooperation in all the various fields of economy, security, trade, education, energy and culture. 

The two sides have exchanged several politico-economic delegations during the last few months. 

Turkish President Abdullah Gul in a meeting with Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani earlier in February underlined the need for the removal of obstacles to the further expansion of bilateral economic ties with Iran in a bid to boost trade cooperation between the two countries. 

"The level of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries is not appropriate for the age-old ties of the two nations and we should remove the obstacles to the development of mutual cooperation between Iran and Turkey," Gul said at the time. 

Meantime, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also announced this week that he plans to pay a visit to Iran after participating in the UN General Assembly meeting next week in a bid to discuss joint anti-terrorism cooperation with Tehran. 

Erdogan said that he may hold talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the sidelines of the 66th United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. 

He added that Hakan Fidan, the director of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization, will also visit Iran in the near future.