Lavrov: Russia, Iran to Bypass Sanctions as US Slaps New Round on Tehran

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow and Tehran would cooperate to bypass sanctions, as the United States imposes a new round of sanctions against the Islamic Republic in a bitter blow to the prospects of reaching an agreement in Vienna.

The US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday sanctions on an individual and companies linked with him for providing assistance to Iran’s ballistic missile program.

In its statement, the Treasury said the new sanctions target the companies that procured ballistic missile propellant-related materials for a unit of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) that is responsible for the research and development of ballistic missiles.

Earlier in the day, Lavrov had said Russia would work with Iran to take practical steps in an effort to circumvent Western sanctions, the RIA news agency reported.