FNA - Secretary of Iran's Aviation and Space Industries Association Maqsood As'adi Samani announced that Tehran has officially protested at Turkey for refusing fuel to the Iranian passenger planes at Istanbul airports.

"Unfortunately, the Turkish company which supplies fuel to the Iranian planes in the country has in an email and without any explanation said that it cannot fuel the Iranian airliners from early November," As'adi Samani told FNA on Saturday.

According to reports, Turkey’s Petrol Ofisi, a subsidiary of Vitol Investment Partnership Ltd., has refused fuel to Iranian airplanes in Turkey.

As'adi Samani said that Iran has officially protested at Turkey, but said, "We expect the problem to be resolved."

He described the decision a violation of the undertakings and agreements between Iran and Turkey, and expressed the hope that the Turkish government would pursue the issue and resolve the problem.

Some Iranian airliners were refused fuel in Turkey’s Istanbul airports on Friday and had to cancel at least one flight, while other carriers had to cut the number of passengers on board in order to fly on less fuel, Reuters quoted the Turkish media as reporting.

Iran’s Mahan Air, ATA Airlines, Qeshm Airlines and Iran Aseman Airlines all operate flights between Tehran and Istanbul.

The United States said on Friday it would temporarily allow eight jurisdictions to keep importing Iranian oil when US sanctions come back into force on Monday.

Turkey depends heavily on imports to meet its energy needs and neighboring Iran has been one of its main sources of oil because of its proximity, crude quality and favorable price differentials, traders say.