The US government announced that it would revoke the Turkish military’s loan facility and export permits on Monday. It also said that the country’s president would not be allowed to travel to the United States and build assets there. The US government has imposed sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of the state-of-the-art Russian defense system S4 Hundred (S400). The United States has made every effort to prevent the Ankara government from buying the Russian defense system, but Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the purchase is necessary for his country. The United States has shown its position regarding the imposition of sanctions on Turkey, the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told it was a clear message that Washington would not bear any deal or purchase with Russia in both defense and intelligence sectors. The Russian defense system S4 Hundred was delivered to Turkey last year. Javad Zarif, Iranian foreign minister in his tweet said that “U.S addiction to sanctions and contempt for international law at full display again. We strongly condemn recent U.S. sanctions against Turkey and stand with its people and government”. He also said that the US sanctions on Turkey are illegal. The United States has repeatedly expressed concern over Turkey’s purchase of the S4 Hundred Russian defense system. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stuck to his position of buying this Russian defense system and finally got it. Russia delivered the defense system to Turkey last year. It is currently in the process of installation and testing. The United States has advised Turkey to refrain from acquiring the Russian system. It should also be noted that the United States has imposed economic and travel sanctions on the officials of the relevant departments of the Turkish Ministry of Defense for purchasing Russian anti-missile systems. Observers also attribute the sanctions to Turkey’s role in the Armenian-Azerbaijani war and its hostility to Arab agreements with Israel.
