The United States is not taking the support offered by the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to the Iranian nuclear program lightly (Here is a previous blog I wrote on this topic). This week as the Turkish prime minister met with President Obama in Washington D.C., Iran’s nuclear program was very much a topic of conversation. According to the Christian Science Monitor, the White House is concerned that increased economic ties between Ankara and Tehran could undermine efforts to punish the Islamic regime should it continue with its disputed nuclear program.
In the public remark made by the President Obama after his meeting with Turkish prime minister, President Obama reinforced the fact that Turkey will be a significant actor in trying to nudge Iran to accept a negotiated solution on its controversial nuclear program before the year-end deadline:
We discussed issues of regional peace, and I indicated to the Prime Minister how important it is to resolve the issue of Iran’s nuclear capacity in a way that allows Iran to pursue peaceful nuclear energy but provides assurances that it will abide by international rules and norms, and I believe that Turkey can be an important player in trying to move Iran in that direction.