Turkey announced the suspension of all trade with Israel
On May 2, local time, the Turkish Ministry of Trade issued a statement announcing the suspension of all import and export trade with Israel.
Ministry of Trade, Turkey
The statement said that after the outbreak of a new round of large-scale Palestinian-Israeli conflict on October 7 last year, Turkey has been committed to ending the conflict through diplomatic means and has sent humanitarian relief materials, including food and medical supplies, to the Gaza Strip. However, the humanitarian catastrophe caused by Israel continues, and the Israeli Government has ignored international efforts to promote a ceasefire and has blocked humanitarian assistance. Turkey then announced restrictions on exports of 54 categories of products to Israel, effective April 9 this year, until Israel declares a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and allows adequate and uninterrupted aid to enter the area.
According to the statement, it has been observed that the Israeli government's aggression continues and the humanitarian tragedy in Palestine has worsened, so Turkey has decided to take the second phase of measures at the national level, that is, to suspend the export and import of all Israeli-related products. Turkey will strictly and decisively implement these new measures until the Israeli government allows uninterrupted and adequate humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. On the other hand, the Turkish Ministry of Trade and the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy are coordinating the necessary efforts to ensure that Palestine is not affected by these restrictions.
The statement stressed that Turkey will, as always, continue to firmly support the just cause of Palestine.
Iran announced 25 sanctions
U.S. and British individuals and entities supporting Israel
Iran's Foreign Ministry announced retaliatory sanctions on May 2 against 25 individuals and entities from the United States and the United Kingdom for "supporting Israel's human rights violations against Palestinians."
Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building (data map)
Iran's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the same day, saying that sanctions against US individuals and companies are due to their "support and financing of Israeli terrorist acts and flagrant violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip." Sanctions against British individuals and entities are due to their "deliberate support and promotion of Israel's illegal actions, systematic violations of human rights, incitement to war", etc.
The five sanctioned U.S. entities include U.S. arms dealers Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and Skadeo, and the seven sanctioned U.S. citizens include Brian Fenton, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command.
The five UK entities sanctioned include Elbit Systems and Meggitt, both of which are linked to the defense industry. The eight British citizens sanctioned include British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps and Commander of the British Army's Strategic Command, James Hockenhull.
According to the statement, the sanctions include freezing the assets and bank accounts of targeted individuals and entities in Iran and prohibiting the entry of relevant persons into Iran.
The United Kingdom and the United States governments issued separate statements on April 18 announcing sanctions against a number of Iranian individuals and entities in response to Iran's recent retaliatory strikes against Israel.
On April 1, Israel launched an attack on Iran's diplomatic mission in Syria, killing more than a dozen people, including seven Iranian military personnel, including Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commanders Zahedi and Rahimi. In the early hours of April 14, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began launching massive missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets.
The foreign minister accused Turkey of violating trade deals
He said he would look for a solution
On the evening of May 2, local time, Israeli Foreign Minister Katz issued a statement on social media saying that Turkey is violating the trade agreement between the two countries and blocking Israel's import and export activities in Turkish ports. This move tramples on the interests of the Turkish people and business institutions, and ignores international trade agreements.
Israeli Foreign Minister Katz (data map)
Katz said that the Israeli Foreign Ministry will immediately communicate with all relevant departments of the Israeli government to find a response to the Turkish restriction policy, with a focus on encouraging domestic production and imports from other countries.
Source: China News Network synthesized from CCTV News, previous reports, and China News Network