US warns Erdogan against violating sanctions in Tehran visit

Monday, the day before Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Tehran, he was warned by David Cohen, Undersecretary for Terrorism at the US Treasury Department, that “Iran is not open for business. Sanctions remain in place and… businesses that are interested in engaging with Iran really should hold off.” DEBKAfile: The Obama administration is concerned that the Turkish prime minister will undercut the sanctions mechanism against Iran for the sake of his acceptance as Iran’s partner for the Syrian conflict. US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called off his trip to Ankara Monday.