New US sanctions on Iran 'ridiculous': Russian official

A senior Russian official has denounced fresh US sanctions against Iran on "unfounded" grounds, saying they will only undermine the implementation of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Tehran.

According to Press TV, Mikhail Ulyanov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's department for non-proliferation and arms control, told RIA Novosti news agency that the nuclear accord calls on “Iran to refrain from launching ballistic missiles, but … it is just an appeal, not an obligation,” adding, "Sanctions for failing to comply with this call are ridiculous.”

Ulyanov also stressed that no one has been able to prove that Iran’s missiles are designed to deliver weapons of mass destruction, so “the cause for any punishment is non-existent.”

Elsewhere in his comments, the Russian official hailed Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA, but complained of the US conduct, saying that even world powers must adhere to “certain rules of the game.”

“The nuclear deal envisaged some steps by Iran, which it implements in good faith, and reciprocal steps by the ‘group of six’ of western and eastern countries. The US side is implementing its part of the deal very badly," Ulyanov said.

On Wednesday, President Hassan Rouhani pledged that Iran would would respond to the US sanctions in kind.

“Surely, if the Americans seek to apply sanctions against us under whatever title or pretext, the great nation of Iran would aptly respond to them,” he said.

SS