WASHINGTON - A senior US official says that Turkey has agreed to stay out of international efforts to pressure Iran on its nuclear program.
The official told reporters that US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had asked Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in a 45 minute conversation Monday to leave the issue to UN Security council powers and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation, said Davutoglu agreed.
US-Turkish relations have suffered since Turkey voted against US-backed sanctions that ultimately passed in the UN Security Council last month.
The vote came shortly after Turkey tried to broker a nuclear fuel-swap deal with Iran as an alternative to sanctions.
The Turkish Embassy had no immediate comment on the Clinton-Davutoglu talks.