TEHRAN, June 1, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Iran on Saturday criticised the European
Union's imposition of new sanctions on high-ranking officials and the
Revolutionary Guards for supplying drones to Russia and its Middle East
allies.

The EU's measures unveiled on Friday target Iran's Defence Minister Mohammad
Reza Ashtiani and Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Guards' foreign
operations arm, the Quds Force, among others.

The sanctions also target an armed forces command centre, the head of a state
aviation firm and the Kavan Electronics Behrad company.

The Islamic republic's foreign ministry described the move as "regrettable",
saying they were based on "repeated, absurd, and baseless excuses and
accusations".

"The European Union... once again resorted to the obsolete and ineffective
tool of sanctions against the powerful Iran," ministry spokesman Nasser
Kanani said in a statement.

The sanctions forbid any EU citizen or company from engaging in business with
the listed individuals and organisations.

The United States and its allies including Israel accuse Iran of providing
fleets of drones to its allies in the Middle East, notably to Lebanese Shiite
group Hezbollah and the Huthi rebels in Yemen.

Kyiv and its Western allies also accuse Iran of providing Russia with drones
for use in the Ukraine war, a claim the Islamic republic denies.