04 September 2018•Update: 04 September 2018
ANKARA
An Iranian lawmaker on Tuesday praised the Turkish people for rejecting U.S. economic pressure against their country, according to semi-official ISNA news agency.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a member of the parliamentary committee on international relations, said the Turkish people saved their honor by backing their government in the face of U.S. pressures.
“With the devaluation of the lira against foreign currencies, the Turkish people burned the American currency [USD], which is a symbolic position worth of appreciation and affirms the standing of this people in support of their state and government,” Boroujerdi said.
He pointed out that the Iranian people did not show the same stance of the Turkish people when the Iranian currency devaluated.
Turkey and the U.S. are currently experiencing rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions over the detention of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, who is under house arrest in Turkey over terrorism charges.
Brunson's charges include spying for the PKK -- listed as a terrorist group by both the U.S. and Turkey -- and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the defeated coup attempt in Turkey of July 2016.
Political tensions between the two countries had sparked worries in markets this month, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to use economic pressure against Turkey over the American pastor.
Reporting by Ahmet Dursun:Writing by Mahmoud Barakat
