A top Turkish official says in the U.S. that Turkish firms are 'free to make their own decisions' about complying with sanctions aimed at cutting off trade with Iran over its nuclear program.
Reporting from Washington —
Turkey has rebuffed a U.S. effort to persuade it to scale back its trade ties with Iran despite a persistent U.S. lobbying campaign this week in Washington and Ankara.
Ali Babacan, a Turkish deputy prime minister, told reporters in Washington on Wednesday that Turkish companies remained "free to make their own decisions" about whether to comply with U.S. and European sanctions aimed at cutting off trade with Iran.
