Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani has criticized sanctions imposed by the UK, Canada, and the US on individuals and entities associated with Iran's Armed Forces, describing them as an opportunity to further strengthen the country's defense capabilities.
Kanani stated in a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Telegram channel, "Sanctions against the defense capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not only fail to undermine the determination of the Iranian government and people to defend Iran's sovereignty, territorial integrity, security, and national interests, but also, contrary to the aspirations of the sanctioning countries, create opportunities to strengthen Iran's defense capabilities."
Kanani emphasized that "Iran's military potential is proportional to its needs to defend itself against any foreign threats and aggression."
On April 25, the UK, Canada, and US authorities announced new anti-Iran sanctions. These measures included extending restrictive measures to two individuals and four companies linked to the production of Iranian drones and missiles. Additionally, the UK imposed restrictions against Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiyani, the General Staff of the Armed Forces, and the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Canada added the defense minister and Lieutenant General Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the Iranian Armed Forces' Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters, to its sanctions list. The US Treasury Department added three Iranian citizens and two companies to the Russian Federation-linked sanctions list for allegedly supporting Russia's actions in Ukraine, as well as imposing restrictions on more than two dozen individuals, legal entities, and courts for involvement in the development, financing, and transfer of Iranian drones to the IRGC.
Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed reports of Iranian drones supplied to Russia for use in Ukraine as news fabrication, stating that the Russian army uses domestically produced drones exclusively. Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amir Abdollahian clarified in November 2022 that Iran had supplied drones to Russia, but in small quantities and a few months before the start of a special military operation.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
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Based on materials from TASS