The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized Wednesday President Donald Trump’s move to increase sanctions on Iran, after the recent attacks on Saudi Arabian oil production plants, most likely carried out by Iranian proxies.
As a result of the attacks, the kingdom was forced to shut down half of its oil production operations. In turn, crude oil process saw the steepest hike in decades, raising concerns of a possible military conflict in the region.
Prices dropped again only after the kingdom said production would return to normal sooner than expected.
Since then, Saudi Arabia has provided evidence that Iran was behind the strikes. At a press briefing in Riyadh, Saudi coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said all military components found at the site of the attacks pointed to Tehran.
The accusations prompted the increased sanctions, which Russia has called “destructive.” The ministry further stressed that the sanctions “will not solve anything,” CNBC writes.
The sanctions were announced Wednesday by President Trump, who said on Twitter that he had instructed the Treasury Department to “substantially increase” them, although he failed to mention what concrete steps would be taken.
Iran has carried out a number of other attacks in recent months, including shooting down an American military drone over the Strait of Hormuz back in June. The incident happened only weeks after the U.S. blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf region, slapping new sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s military leaders accused of the downing of the surveillance drone.
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