An attendant holds a gas pump at a Rosneft gas station in
St.Petersburg Oct. 23, 2012. (photo by REUTERS/Alexander
Demianchuk )  How Turkey, Russia Benefit From Iran Sanctions
Author: Denise Natali Posted January 2, 2013  Tougher US
sanctions against Iran, recently approved by the US Senate, are
expected to create new obstacles to Tehran’s nuclear-weapons
program by expanding the list of embargoed items and companies
trading in energy and related industries. While crippling the
country’s economy, the sanctions also have had unintended
consequences on energy-dependent regional states, particularly
Turkey, which has circumvented the embargo and turned to Russia
for alternative energy supplies. These reactions not only
reinforce Ankara’s foreign-policy independence and Moscow’s
energy dominance, but they highlight the growing tensions
between US policy objectives and regional energy and security
interests.  SummaryPrint Denise Natali writes that US-led
international sanctions on Iran will strengthen Turkish-Rus