A senior Russian official on Sunday accused the United States of applying sanctions on two Russian arms firms for purely political reasons.
Washington said Friday that the planemaker Sukhoi and arms exporter Rosoboronexport were among seven foreign companies subject to sanctions for having provided Iran with equipment that could be used to develop missile systems or weapons of mass destruction.
"The Russian Federation strictly respects all the international rules in respect of military-technical cooperation with foreign states," said Vladimir Paleshchuk, deputy head of the Russian federal service for military-technical cooperation, according to Russian news agencies.
"Rosoboronexport and Sukhoi are two major suppliers of arms. I have no doubt that fact arouses uncomfortable feelings among certain competitors," he said.
"The sanctions announced are a purely political and economic decision."
Russian media have suggested that the US move is linked to a contract to modernise 30 Iranian air force Sukhoi aircraft and may also be a reprisal for the recent sale of Sukhoi planes to Venezuela.
As Russia does not sell weapons to the United States, the sanctions will hit Sukhoi's civil aircraft activities, in particular the building of a regional plane, the Sukhoi Superjet 100.
