Steel is Turkey's latest helping hand to Iran | ReutersTurkey's importance as a trade conduit to Iran has widened to include supplying most of its steel as Turkish banks are among the very few still willing to arrange financing for the sanctions-hit country.
Despite sometimes strained political ties, trade between the two neighbours has risen sharply over the past decade, with Turkey regarded by some as a possible weak link in international sanctions imposed on Iran over Tehran's suspected development of nuclear weapons.
Iran is Turkey's biggest export market for gold while Turkey is Europe's only remaining importer of Iranian oil.