US Slaps Three Russian Entities With Sanctions Over Alleged Proliferation of WMD

According to Washington, the companies provided weapons to Iran, Syria, and North Korea, breaking American law.

The US Department of State has introduced sanctions against three Russian entities: electronic manufacturer Pulsar, Charter Green Light Moscow, and Asia-Invest.

"A determination has been made that a number of foreign persons have engaged in activities that warrant the imposition of measures pursuant to Section 3 of the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act", a document published on the Federal Register said.

The move means the federal authorities won't be able to purchase anything from the sanctioned companies or sell anything to them, send them any aid, or license their products.

The list also included several entities from Iraq and Syria. The restrictions against the companies will be in place for at least two years unless they are cancelled by the secretary of state. The document, however, does not explain the causes of the sanctions, so it is unclear what exactly the accusations against the companies listed by the State Department are.

Addressing the decision, Russian Envoy to the US Antonov slammed the sanctions as "unacceptable", stressing that any restrictions imposed on Russian firms are damaging to possible cooperation between the two nations and contradict the spirit of the agreements reached by Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin during the Geneva Summit.

"The US administration continues to escalate the situation artificially. Having arrogated to itself the right to judge and punish all 'the unwanted', it again follows the path of introducing unilateral restrictions in circumvention of international law and the UN Security Council", Antonov said. "We consider this approach unacceptable and fundamentally contradicting the 'spirit of Geneva', as well as efforts to stabilise relations between the two countries".

Russia has repeatedly slammed US bids to unilaterally impose its internal laws on other countries.