Russia dismisses U.S. sanctions on Iran as "unacceptable"

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia dismissed new U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's financial and energy sectors as "unacceptable" on Tuesday, November 22, and said they would hurt the chances of renewing talks with Tehran over its nuclear program, Reuters reports.

A sharply worded Russian statement underscored Moscow's longstanding opposition to sanctions beyond those endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, where Russia holds veto power as a permanent member.

"We again underline that the Russian Federation considers such extraterritorial measures unacceptable and contradictory to international law," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in the statement.

It indicated that despite agreement last week on a UN nuclear agency board resolution that expressed increasing concern about Iran's nuclear program, Russia differs sharply with the West on how to win Tehran's cooperation.

"Such practices ... seriously complicate efforts for constructive dialogue with Tehran," Lukashevich said.

The United States, which fears Tehran's nuclear program is aimed at developing atomic weapons, named Iran on Monday as an area of "primary money laundering concern" in a step designed to dissuade non-U.S. banks from dealing with it.

It also blacklisted 11 entities suspected of aiding Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran says is meant for peaceful purposes including power generation, and expanded sanctions to target companies that aid its oil and petrochemical industries.