US Claims About Moscow Institute Being Military End User ‘Do Not Hold Water’ - Antonov

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US government’s claims that the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) is a military end user do not hold water and underlie another missed opportunity to improve bilateral relations, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the US Commerce Department announced that the United States has imposed export restrictions on MIPT.

“The administration continues its destructive line of breaking ties in areas that have nothing to do with politics. Claims that the MIPT is a ‘military end user’ do not hold water,” Antonov said on Wednesday.

The Russian ambassador explained it is no secret the MIPT prepares technical specialists, including those who join the military-industrial complex enterprises. However, Antonov said one can only guess how this fact threatens the national security of the United States.

“As usual, no facts were presented to us. Each new restriction is a missed opportunity to normalize bilateral ties,” he said.

The MIPT is among 27 foreign entities blacklisted by the United States on Wednesday over national security concerns. In addition to MIPT and 12 Chinese entities, the blacklist also contains entities in Japan, Pakistan and Singapore.

The list includes three affiliates of China’s Corad Technology Ltd., an entity the US government blacklisted in 2019, for its role in selling technology from the United States and other Western nations to Iran. They are alleged to have cooperated with North Korean front companies, Chinese government and defense industry subordinate entities.

Another eight entities have been blacklisted for their participation in the modernization of China’s military and attempting to acquire US-origin items in support of military applications.

The rest of the entities have been designated for their role in Pakistan’s ballistic missile program and "unsafeguarded nuclear program."

The US government has said it may deny issuing licenses or impose license conditions on shipments to these entities to protect US national security or foreign policy interests.