Turkish Prime Ministry Says Turkey Has Always Advocated Resolving Iranian Issue Through Diplomacy

ISTANBUL - Turkey has advocated resolving the Iranian issue through diplomacy from the very beginning, Turkish Prime Ministry sources said after the United Nations Security Council approved new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

The Prime Ministry sources said in a statement that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a series of talks prior to the voting at the UN Security Council.

"Prime Minister Erdogan talked to U.S. President Barack Obama, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Lebanese President Saad Hariri on phone," it said.

"Turkey voted 'no' and stood behind the Tehran Agreement. Turkey has advocated resolving the Iranian issue through diplomacy from the very beginning. Turkey believes that diplomacy is still an option to solve the problem. Turkey will continue launching initiatives to this end," it said.

The resolution imposing a fourth round of sanctions against Iran was approved earlier in the day with 12 'yes' votes, two 'no' votes from Brazil and Turkey, and one abstention from Lebanon.