Russia Says New Iran Sanctions \'\' Unacceptable

Sanctions by Western countries against Iran over its disputed nuclear programme have gone beyond their stated non-proliferation goals, Russian ( RIA Novosti ) News Agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry statement as stating here on Tuesday. The U.S., Britain and Canada announced new sanctions targeting Iran’s banks and oil industry on Monday. The move came shortly after a report by UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), indicated that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear programme is civilian in nature. Russian Foreign Ministry said the new sanctions were "unacceptable" and that they "contradict international law." "For certain of our partners, the pressure of sanctions has almost become an end in itself, one not capable of increasing Iran''s readiness to sit down at the negotiating table," the statement went on. "The continuous ratcheting-up of sanctions has long since gone beyond non-proliferation goals," the statement read.