MOSCOW, March 26 (Xinhua) -- New sanctions imposed by the United States on Russian companies go back on Washington's promises to prioritize the fight against terrorism, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Sunday.
A U.S. State Department representative said Saturday that penalties are being applied to eight Russian companies for their violations of the Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA).
The INKSNA authorizes the United States to impose sanctions against foreign individuals, private entities and governments that engage in proliferation activities.
The U.S. decision to punish the Russian companies, including those related to aircraft construction and the training of flight specialists, is "puzzling and disappointing," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
The United States did not even mention specific reasons but only referred to their legislation prohibiting individuals and entities from cooperating with Iran and Syria, she said.
The new sanctions run counter to Washington's anti-terrorism commitments and undermine the prospects for establishing broad multilateral cooperation to defeat the Islamic State and other terrorist groups, said the spokeswoman.
The sanctions will bring no serious problems to Russia, Zakharova added.
The sanctions resulting from violation of INKSNA marks a new round of sanctions imposed by Washington and its allies against Moscow. Since 2014, the United States, the European Union and some of their allies have imposed several rounds of sanctions against Russia for the country's role in the Ukraine crisis.
