sanctions

Russia warns West after 'unacceptable' sanctions

Moscow (AFP) - Moscow hit back at Western capitals Wednesday for sanctioning senior Russian officials over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, warning its foes "not to play with fire".  The Kremlin accused Washington and Brussels of interference after the US and the EU introduced fresh penalties Tuesday over Navalny, who was jailed last month on returning from Germany where he was recovering from exposure to a nerve agent. The sanctions further erode ties between Moscow and the West following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. "We believe such measures are absolutely unacceptab...

Turkey urges dialogue with US after missile sanctions

Ankara (AFP) - Turkey's defence minister has called on the United States to reopen talks about Ankara's controversial purchase of a Russian air defence system, urging Washington to move past sanctions and threats. But Hulusi Akar also told foreign reporters in Ankara on Wednesday that Turkey was in discussions to receive a second batch of the advanced S-400 missiles from Russia, which compete with US Patriots. The issue will pose an immediate challenge for US President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to take a tougher line with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. After more than a year of...

Turkey avoids the worst from long-mooted US sanctions

Istanbul (AFP) - US sanctions against Turkey over its Russian air defence system purchase were lighter than feared, sparing its economy and offering the NATO ally a chance to start afresh with President-elect Joe Biden, experts say. Officials in Ankara responded to Monday's announcement from Washington -- in the works for several years but triggered by Donald Trump's administration in one of its closing acts -- with carefully calibrated anger. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's press aide Fahrettin Altun called them "unreasonable, fruitless, and ultimately incompatible with the spirit of...

US sells oil seized from Iran to Venezuela for $40 million

Washington (AFP) - The United States said Thursday that it had sold Iranian oil seized on its way to Venezuela for more than $40 million.Washington announced in August that it had confiscated 1.1 million barrels of petroleum from four tankers en route between the two countries, which are both under US sanctions."We estimate that in excess of $40 million will be recouped by the United States related to the sale of petroleum from those four vessels," Michael Sherwin, the acting US attorney for the District of Columbia, told reporters by telephone.He said a "great portion" of it would be contribu...

Iran slaps sanctions on US Iraq envoy in tit-for-tat move

Tehran (AFP) - Iran imposed sanctions on the US ambassador to Iraq on Friday, citing "terrorist" acts against its interests, in a tit-for-tat move after Washington blacklisted Tehran's Baghdad envoy.Matthew Tueller and two other US diplomats in Iraq "have effectively engaged in organising, financing, leading and committing terrorist acts against the interests of the government or citizens" of Iran, the foreign ministry said in a statement released on Twitter.It also accused them of being involved in the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani by a US drone strike near Baghdad's airport ...

North Korean man in Malaysia challenges US extradition bid

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - A North Korean man launched a legal challenge Friday against a US bid to extradite him from Malaysia over allegations he supplied goods to his country in breach of sanctions.Mun Chol Myong, who has lived in the Southeast Asian country with his family for a decade, was arrested last year following an extradition request from Washington.He denies FBI claims that he led a criminal group that violated sanctions by supplying luxury goods to North Korea and laundered funds through front companies.A Malaysian court in December approved his extradition to the United States, but Mu...