国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Turkey-U.S. cooperation expected to continue despite strained ties_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Turkey-U.S. cooperation expected to continue despite strained ties

Turkey is among those which Washington has granted temporary exemption until May from major sanctions on Iran put in place since last November.

"The sanctions are the most sensitive issue that risks causing problems in bilateral ties," Uzgel said, noting Iran is more important than any other issue for Washington.

In his view, Washington would certainly push Ankara to observe the sanctions and may use the Halkbank case to get what it wants.

Turkey's state-owned Halkbank was found guilty of having violated earlier U.S. sanctions on Iran by a U.S. court last year. The court is yet to announce the amount of fine to be imposed on the bank.

Unlike Uzgel, Koni does not expect Washington to exert pressure on Ankara on the grounds that the United States would not want to risk losing an ally because of Turkey's huge strategic importance in the region.

"The U.S. may extend Ankara's exemption from sanctions and could allow it to continue to buy natural gas from its neighbor," he remarked.

Washington is concerned about Ankara's rapprochement with Moscow in recent years and the S-400 deal Turkey concluded with Russia at the end of 2017 remains a nuisance for Washington.

"The question of S-400 missiles will continue to vex Turkish-American ties," Logoglu stated, saying Ankara's suggestion that it could also buy the Patriot defense system from the United States is not welcomed by Washington because of national security concerns.