Category: Iran

Amos Gilad: Turkey against a nuclear Iran

Amos Gilad: Turkey against a nuclear Iran

Head of Defense Ministry’s diplomatic security bureau says reconciliation with Erodogan important; reveals that ‘additional crises’ were avoided

Atilla Somfalvi

Published: 04.09.13, 15:09 / Israel News

The head of the diplomatic-security bureau at the Defense Ministry, Amos Gilad said Tuesday that the reconciliation agreement with Turkey was important for Israel due to the Iran nuclear situation. “Turkey has been enemies with Iran or Persia for 1,000 years; it (Turkey) cannot allow them to arm themselves with nuclear weapons. Turkey is not ready for Iran to go nuclear,” he said in an interview with Ynet.

Gilad also emphasized that even if Israel’s relations with Turkey did not return to their previous level, the importance of the reconciliation agreement was in that it stopped the deterioration of relations between the two countries.

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He added that in addition to published reports, further crises unknown to the public, had been averted, “on the level of the air force and navy.” Regarding the decision to postpone the meeting between Turkish and Israeli representatives he called it a “technical issue,” devoid of strategic meaning.

During the interview, Gilad talked about the visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to the region in an attempt to lay the groundwork for a return to negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. He emphasized that the difficulty in reaching an agreement with the Palestinians lay in the gap between the two sides view of the West Bank, and in whether Abbas would be in control of Gaza.

Regarding Syria, Gilad said the regime’s chemical weapons were still under Assad’s control and that “accurate intelligence tracking” needed to be done following their situation. He added that the deterioration of Syria has allowed groups such as Al-Qaeda to establish itself in the country.

Finally, Gilad said, Israel should not favor Assad, remembering that he is an “axis of extreme evil.”

When asked about Assad’s eventual fall, Gilad replied, “We must not say that it will happen in the next week or next two weeks. There is no reason to make such estimations.”

via Amos Gilad: Turkey against a nuclear Iran – Israel News, Ynetnews.

April 10, 2013
Iran taking lessons from Turkey in combating Israel

Kerry arrives in an Ankara eager for role in Mideast diplomatic process; Iranian ambassador says Turkey’s constant resistance proves “we can take what we want to take from Israel.”

US Secretary of State John Kerry, February 8, 2013. Photo: REUTERS/Jason Reed

When apologizing last month for operational errors that might have led to the loss of life on the Mavi Marmara flotilla, Israel realized this would be perceived by some in the region as weakness, but decided a wider array of factors had to be weighed in, a government source said Saturday.

The source was responding to a comment carried by the Turkish Anadolu news agency on Saturday by Alireza Bikedeli, Iran’s ambassador to Ankara, saying that “in the past three years, Turkey, with its constant resistance, showed us we can take what we want to take from Israel.” The source said that in government meetings over the last few years dealing with whether to apologize to Turkey for the May 2010 incident, the question of how an apology would be perceived in the region was always taken into consideration.

But, the official said, there was “a wide array” of other factors to think about as well.

“If the decision leads to a thawing of relations with Turkey, then the Iranians won’t be happy,” the official added.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Turkey Saturday night on the first stop of a six-country tour that will take him to Jerusalem and Ramallah on Sunday through Tuesday.

The Turkish media said that the visit to Istanbul, Kerry’s second visit to Turkey in two months, is coming amid expectations he will offer Turkey a role in the Middle East diplomatic process.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said at a press briefing last week that Kerry would meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discuss the “complex issues surrounding Middle East peace.”

In the past, she said, they have discussed Fatah-Hamas reconciliation, “and our insistence that Quartet principles need to be abided by if this is going to serve the cause of peace.”

While not directly referring to Erdogan’s announced intention to visit the Gaza Strip this month, Nuland said that in the past the US has urged senior Turkish officials that any contact with Hamas be “in service to the greater issue of stability and peace, and that the fundamental underlying tenets of the Quartet principles be reiterated as the necessary precondition.” The Quartet principles are that Hamas recognize Israel, forswear terrorism and accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements.

The prospect of Erdogan indeed going ahead with a trip to Gaza, which he has threatened to do a number of times in the past, seemed to fade somewhat with the announcement that he will be meeting US President Barack Obama in the White House on May 16. The US has in the past urged Erdogan to refrain from making that trip, arguing it would undercut Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and strengthen Hamas.

Asked whether Turkey could play a role in the Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic process, something Ankara has expressed an interest in doing, Nuland said Turkey certainly “has significant influence with the Palestinians. It has the ability to encourage Palestinians of all stripes to accept Quartet principles and move forward on that basis.”

One Israeli official said that Turkey is one of any number of international actors – the EU, the French, British, Russians and the UN – which would like to have a larger role in the diplomatic process. “We are ready for countries to play a positive role in the peace process, the official said, adding that to do so these countries “have to have the confidence of both sides.”

via Iran taking lessons from Turkey in combating Israel | JPost | Israel News.

April 7, 2013
Iran, Turkey resume gold trade despite US sanctions

Iran and Turkey resume their trade of gold for natural gas and make USD 120 million deal in February, circumventing tough US sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear energy program, Press TV reported.

Turkey exported almost USD 120 million worth of gold to Iran in February after it announced a moratorium in January, Reuters reported.

Data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TUIK) showed that Ankara sold no gold to Tehran in January as banks and dealers implemented the February 6 US sanctions targeting Iranian oil revenues.

The US and its European allies have imposed illegal unilateral sanctions against Iran based on the unfounded accusation that Iran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

On February 6, 2013, the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting Iranian oil revenues. The sanctions prevent Iran from gaining access to earnings garnered from its crude exports.

One Istanbul gold trader asking not to be named, said, “Due to the sanctions, nobody wants to attract attention. That may be the reason why exports stopped to Iran in January.”

“However, trade with Iran continues; there will always be transfers. Looking at this year’s figures, the February exports to Iran are quite low, so it shouldn’t cause issues,” he added.

On January 4, 2013, Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan slammed European Union pressures on Ankara to stop gold-for-gas trade with Iran, saying the EU demand would fall on “deaf ears.”

On December 26, 2012, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said Ankara would keep buying natural gas from Iran regardless of Western sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

via Iran, Turkey resume gold trade despite US sanctions – Trend.Az.

April 2, 2013
Turkey resumes gold exports to Iran

Turkey resumes gold exports to Iran

Source: Radio Zamaneh

Turkey exported $120 million in gold to Iran in February and, according to Reuters, this evidence reveals that despite U.S. restrictions, the trade of natural gas for gold continues between the two countries, albeit at lower levels.

Reuters reported on March 29 that TUIK, Turkey’s statistics institute, says the country did not export any gold to Iran in January 2013; however, in February, $114.9 million in gold was sold to Iran, and gold exports to Dubai, which is often a route for the transfer of gold to Iran, went up from $371 million in January to $402.3 million.

A gold merchant in Istanbul told Reuters that the gold traders do not want to draw too much attention to their dealings with Iran, which is perhaps why gold exports to Iran were stopped in January.

Iran is a major supplier of natural gas and oil to Turkey, and U.S. sanctions on Iran have put restrictions on paying for these commodities in euros or dollars.

Turkey has been exempted from U.S. sanctions on trade with Iran but that exemption is due to expire in July.

via Turkey resumes gold exports to Iran.

March 31, 2013
Iran mostly speechless after Israel, Turkey agree to restore ties

Iran mostly speechless after Israel, Turkey agree to restore ties

“This is just a game the U.S., Israel and Turkey are playing to influence the Islamic awakening,” says Iranian deputy chief of staff in only comments out of Iran on Israel-Turkey reconciliation • Abbas welcomes deal • Erdoğan to visit West Bank, Gaza.

Daniel Siryoti, Israel Hayom Staff and Reuters

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (left) with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. [archive] | Photo credit: Reuters

Iran was left scrambling for ways to deal with the news of Israel and Turkey’s reconciliation, with one senior official accusing the U.S. of playing a “game” in the Middle East.

“This is just a game the U.S., Israel and Turkey are playing to influence the Islamic awakening,” said Iran’s Deputy Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, the senior-most official to respond to news that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had apologized to his Turkish counterpart over the 2010 flotilla incident, paving the way for full reconciliation and the normalization of diplomatic relations that had been severed after Israeli Navy commandos killed nine Turks aboard the Mavi Marmara.

Jazayeri said on Saturday that the U.S. sought to “find a replacement for the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Muslim world,” official Iranian Press TV reported Saturday.

Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and the Arab League received a full report on the Israeli-Turkish reconciliation.

The Arab League opposed to the agreement, which PA President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has confirmed that he plans to visit the West Bank and Gaza Strip in April.

“We are entering a new period in both Turkey and the region,” said Erdoğan on Saturday. “We are at the beginning of a process of elevating Turkey to a position so that it will again have a say, initiative and power, as it did in the past.”

via Israel Hayom | Iran mostly speechless after Israel, Turkey agree to restore ties.

March 25, 2013
Commander Sees Israel’s Apology to Turkey as “New US Game”

Commander Sees Israel’s Apology to Turkey as “New US Game”

TEHRAN (FNA)- Tel Aviv’s recent apology to Ankara is a US game to undermine the anti-Israel resistance movement in the region, a senior Iranian commander said on Saturday.

The Zionist regime’s apology to Turkey is a new game by the United States, the Israeli regime and Turkey to further affect resistance (movement) in the region, the Islamic Awakening in particular, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for Basij and Defense Culture Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri said.

He pointed to Israel’s savage raid on the Gaza aid convoy in 2010, and stated that the shock caused by the Zionists’ attack on a Gaza-bound international aid flotilla created a special position for Turkey in regional equations.

The Zionist regime troops stormed a flotilla of ships on May 31, 2010 killing a number of human rights activists on board.

The ships were sailing under the Turkish flag. A number of foreign activists and officials were among passengers of the ships.

The Iranian commander further stated that the global arrogance mainly moves to find a replacement for the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Muslim world.

“The elite of the Muslim world should remain vigilant and pay the necessary heed to the issue and do not allow the Americans and their allies to humiliate the public opinion.”

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a full resumption of diplomatic ties with Turkey after making an apology to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the deaths of nine Turkish activists in the deadly 2010 flotilla attack.

Netanyahu also accepted Ankara’s demand for compensation to be paid to the families of the nine victims.

via Fars News Agency :: Commander Sees Israel’s Apology to Turkey as “New US Game”.

March 24, 2013