Turkish finance minister: revenue from Iranian gas imports may only be spent on food and medicine

Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek told reporters that Ankara does not pay Iran directly for its gas imports and that the funds are instead held in a tightly regulated account under an understanding with the United States. He said Iran can only draw on that account to pay for permitted goods, including food and medicine, under a defined framework. Simsek also described Iran's share of Turkey's gas imports as relatively limited, adding that the United States has become one of Turkey's main suppliers of liquefied natural gas.