America News Agency

United States (US) Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack commented on the US Treasury Department’s decision targeting a Türkiye-based financial institution and two of its affiliates over their roles in transferring funds on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force.

Barrack said the measure was not directed at a nation, a banking system or an ally, but at the conduct of a single institution.

Describing the decision as “a precise and lawful enforcement action,” Barrack said the US maximum pressure policy toward Iran is based on shutting down the channels through which revenues generated by Tehran’s activities are transferred.

Emphasizing that Türkiye’s financial system was not being questioned, Barrack said, “The health of the Turkish financial system is not in question; the conduct of a single institution has been questioned.”

Barrack said Turkish authorities had been in direct contact with their US counterparts throughout the process and had been working to eliminate uncertainties and strengthen transparency.

Noting that US-Türkiye relations are much bigger than a single institution or a single day, Barrack said the two countries are “on the same side” when it comes to regional stability, trade and security.

Barrack said the process would in time be viewed as an example of the strength of the partnership between the two countries, emphasizing “a shared commitment to transparency that makes both of our nations, and the alliance between them, stronger than before.”