Russia Firmly Opposes Expansion Of US Sanctions Against Iran - Deputy Foreign Minister

Moscow firmly opposes expansion of the US sanctions against Tehran as it appears that Washington takes every opportunity to exert pressure on countries it dislikes, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th October, 2018) Moscow firmly opposes expansion of the US sanctions against Tehran as it appears that Washington takes every opportunity to exert pressure on countries it dislikes, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik.

On Tuesday, the US Treasury Department announced that it had imposed sanctions on 20 entities for allegedly providing support to Iran's Basij Resistance Force. The designations target four Iranian banks - Bank Mellat, Sina Bank, Parsian Bank and Mehr Eqtesad Bank - and five investment firms, including Negin Sahel Royal Company and Mehr Eqtesad Financial Group.

"Regardless of for what reasons, under what pretexts and against which countries the United States imposes its unilateral sanctions, we firmly oppose it. The unacceptability of unilateral extraterritorial sanctions as a foreign policy tool has been and remains the core of our position. We see that Washington respects no limits in the pursuit of exerting pressure on countries it dislikes, including Iran," Ryabkov said.