Tehran: Iran has strongly condemned Canada's recent sanctions against Iranian individuals and entities, calling the move politically motivated, unlawful, and illegitimate. On Friday, Canada announced new sanctions on Iran, targeting seven individuals and entities over their alleged links to networks involved in the production of weapons, which Ottawa claims have been sent to Russia for use in the Ukraine war.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Canada's Foreign Ministry stated that the sanctions 'target 3 individuals and 4 entities that are Iranian business people and companies connected to procurement networks that acquire and supply sophisticated technology' supporting the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' (IRGC) weapons production and sales.

In a statement on Sunday, Issa Kameli, assistant to the foreign minister and director general for the Americas at the Foreign Ministry, said Ottawa's move is an 'unlawful and illegitimate act that violates the human rights of the Iranian people, making the Canadian government internationally accountable.'

Kameli criticized Canada's sanctions, asserting they are a political action that contradicts the principles of the United Nations Charter and international laws governing free trade between countries. He further accused Canada of being a major human rights violator, citing its complicity in the 'genocide of the Palestinian people.'

Kameli advised Canadian officials to focus on addressing their own domestic and foreign policy shortcomings rather than making accusations against other nations. He urged Ottawa to end its 'systematic policy of erasing Indigenous populations' and take responsibility for its 'complicity in the genocide and war crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.'

Rejecting allegations of Iranian involvement in the Ukraine conflict, Kameli reiterated that repeating false claims does not make them true. He emphasized that Iran has no involvement in the conflict and has consistently opposed the war, calling for an end to the conflict through diplomatic negotiations between the warring parties.