ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s energy minister on Monday announced plans to visit Tehran to discuss investment in gas fields and a pipeline project in a rebuff to the United States, which opposes energy deals with Iran.Washington said a new energy deal between Iran and Turkey would send the wrong message while the West threatens economic sanctions against Tehran because of its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. The European Union and the United States believe Iran plans to develop nuclear weapons – a claim that Tehran denies.
But the energy minister of Turkey’s Islamic-rooted government insisted that Turkey needs natural gas and has to “protect its own interests.”
By SELCAN HACAOGLU
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