Turkey calls for end to embargoes on Iran, Venezuela

Turkey yesterday said the lifting of Western sanctions on countries including Iran and Venezuela would alleviate the global energy crisis triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Venezuela has been hit by US oil sanctions since 2019 and Iran is under US sanctions as talks between Tehran and Washington over reviving a 2015 nuclear deal stall.

Iran has the world's second largest natural gas reserves, after Russia, but lacks the infrastructure to increase exports, which are currently limited to Iraq and Turkey.

"The entire world needs Venezuela's oil and natural gas... On the other side, there's been embargoes on the Iranian oil," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.