Turkish, Iranian presidents hold phone call

ISTANBUL Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani over phone, the country's Directorate of Communications said on Sunday. The two leaders discussed steps to improve Turkey-Iran cooperation in economy, transportation, security, and other areas. Erdogan also reiterated the will to boost Turkey-Iran relations. Expressing the wish that the new US administration abandons unilateral sanctions against Iran and remove unjust obstacles in the welfare of Iranians, Erdogan said that statements made in the last few days on the subject have opened a new window of opportunity. The Turkish president said that it is the most reasonable course of action for all parties to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. It is important to keep the door of dialogue open despite all difficulties, he added. *Writing by Seda Sevencan