The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the latest batch of sanctions introduced against Iranian institutions, calling them "illegitimate".
{"preview_thumbnail":"https://cdn.flowplayer.com/6684a05f-6468-4ecd-87d5-a748773282a3/i/v-i-0…","video_id":"0f1dfe4b-ef8a-48b8-9604-07009c97ae63","player_id":"8ca46225-42a2-4245-9c20-7850ae937431","provider":"flowplayer","video":"The Worst 10 Destinations for Expats"}
"This will not affect our approaches to Iran. As we planned, we will continue to cooperate with Iran in the banking sector. This will have no effect [on Russia's position]," Russian Foreign Ministry Second Asian Department Director Zamir Kabulov said, according to RIA Novosti.
The announcement comes as President Donald Trump stated that the United States is introducing sanctions on Iran.
"We have just sanctioned the Iranian national bank," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, later clarifying that he was referring to the Iranian central bank.
Additionally, United States Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin stated that the National Development Fund is also falling under the sanctions.
The US slapped sanctions against the Iranian economy’s energy, banking, and shipping sectors following its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – a 2015 accord that lifted international sanctions from the Islamic Republic in exchange for the latter limiting its nuclear program. Washington also threatened to impose sanctions against any entity dealing with Tehran.
Relations between Washington and Tehran recently further soured after the US accused Iran of being involved in a drone attack against Saudi Aramco's oil refineries last week. Tehran denies the allegation; moreover, Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement has claimed responsibility for the strikes.
