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Türkiye Probes Event Spending in Opposition-run Cities

A Turkish flag with the Bosphorus Bridge in the background, flies on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Türkiye September 30, 2020. (Reuters)
A Turkish flag with the Bosphorus Bridge in the background, flies on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Türkiye September 30, 2020. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Probes Event Spending in Opposition-run Cities

A Turkish flag with the Bosphorus Bridge in the background, flies on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Türkiye September 30, 2020. (Reuters)
A Turkish flag with the Bosphorus Bridge in the background, flies on a passenger ferry in Istanbul, Türkiye September 30, 2020. (Reuters)

The Istanbul chief prosecutor's office has opened a probe into allegations of illicit expenditures at some public events organised by the Istanbul municipality, marking the latest legal challenge to opposition-run districts in Türkiye.

The office said late on Wednesday it would investigate "irregular spendings" to determine whether the public experienced financial harm, without elaborating.

The Ankara chief prosecutor's office has also launched an investigation into two concerts organized by the Ankara municipality on Republic Day celebrations on Oct. 29.

The municipalities, which are Türkiye's two largest cities and both run by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), deny the allegations, according to Reuters.

Speaking at a career fair on Thursday, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - who is seen as a potential future challenger to President Tayyip Erdogan - said the probes amounted to "reputation assassination".

Late last month the CHP mayor of Istanbul's Esenyurt district was arrested and accused of belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), charges he and his party reject.

Since then, the interior ministry dismissed and replaced elected mayors from the pro-Kurdish DEM party in some southeastern cities for alleged ties to militants, charges they and their party also deny.

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US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Third China ‘Teapot’ Refinery, Port Terminal

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Imposes Iran-Related Sanctions on Third China ‘Teapot’ Refinery, Port Terminal

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, January 20, 2023. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on a third Chinese independent - or "teapot" - oil refinery, and port terminal operators in China for purchases of Iranian oil.

The US Treasury designated the Hebei Xinhai Chemical Group refinery and three companies for operating a terminal at Dongying Port in Shandong Province. It said they had purchased or facilitated the delivery of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian oil.

It was the latest independent Chinese refinery targeted by the Trump administration after it re-imposed a policy of "maximum pressure" that aims to cut off Iran's export revenue to pressure Tehran into a deal to curb its nuclear program and stop the funding of militant groups across the Middle East.

"So long as Iran attempts to generate oil revenues to fund its destabilizing activities, the United States will hold both Iran and all its partners in sanctions evasion accountable," the US Treasury said in a statement.

Previous sanctions imposed on two small Chinese refiners for buying Iranian oil have created difficulties in receiving oil, leading them to halt purchases of crude and sell product under other names, sources familiar with the matter said.

Those sanctions have also begun to deter other, larger independent Chinese refiners from buying Iranian crude, three of the sources said.

Iran's UN mission in New York and China's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The companies Treasury designated for operating the port terminal were Baogang (Dongying Donggang) Logistics and Warehousing Co, Ltd, Shandong Jingang Port Co, Ltd, and Shandong Baogang International Port Co, Ltd.

Treasury said the companies operate a terminal in Dongying Port that has received more than one million barrels of Iranian oil from shadow fleet tankers.

The sanctions block US assets of those designated and prevent Americans from doing business with them.