Erdogan says US will ‘lose in the end’ over Iran deal pullout

Istanbul (AFP) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said that the United States will “lose in the end” for withdrawing from the landmark nuclear deal with Iran.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday pulled the United States out of the agreement and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, prompting European powers to scramble to rescue the landmark 2015 pact.

Erdogan told CNN International in an interview to be broadcast in full on Wednesday evening that he feared fresh crises would break out in the region as a result of the move.

“We don’t need new crises in the region,” he said, according to a partial transcript on the CNN website published late Tuesday.

But he said that it was Washington who risked losing as Tehran would fulfil its side of the bargain and stick to the accord.

“The US would be the ones to lose,” he said. 

“Iran will never compromise on this agreement, and will abide by this agreement to the end… that’s what I think. However, the US will lose in the end.”

Erdogan rebuked Turkey’s NATO ally for ripping up the agreement, which was signed under the administration of his predecessor Barack Obama.

“This is not how the international mechanisms work,” he said. 

“International covenants and international conventions cannot be annulled at will. If any document bears your signature, you need to respect that. You need to abide by that,” Erdogan was quoted as saying.

Erdogan said even if the US may be able to enjoy windfalls from rising oil prices as a result of the move it would have a negative effect on the world economy.

“Many of the countries, in poverty, will be hit even harder and deeper,” he said. 

Turkish-US relations are already strained over US backing for a Kurdish militia in Syria which Ankara says is linked to the outlawed PKK group, as well as the jailing of an American pastor in Turkey.

Ankara also has a sometimes troubled relationship with Tehran, but the two sides have been working closely — along with Russia — over the last year in a bid to bring peace to Syria.