Europe main loser of West bans on Russia: Iran Cmdr.

Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi

Sat May 10, 2014 6:21AM GMT

Europe is the main loser of the West and US's sanctions against Russia, says a high-ranking Iranian military commander

“Europeans have been hoodwinked by the Americans in both the Ukraine issue and the economic crisis,” Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said on Friday.

The economic crisis failed to awaken the Europeans, said the commander, adding they have now triggered the Ukraine crisis and slapped sanctions on Russia, a move which could wreak havoc on Europe.

Imperialists and supercapitalists always sacrifice their pawn for their own interests, said the general, adding, “Thoughtful Europeans must think about this serious incident more than ever before.”

Firouzabadi urged free media and individuals that are opposed to war and capitalism to proceed with their democratic efforts in order to save Europe from blindly following the United States.

On April 28, the US imposed visa bans and asset freezes on several high-ranking Russian officials. Washington also imposed sanctions on 17 companies, claiming Moscow had failed to abide by the Geneva agreement to defuse the crisis in Ukraine.

Moreover back in March, the US and Canada announced successive rounds of sanctions over Crimea's integration into the Russian Federation.

Russia answered the first round of US sanctions, barring 11 US officials and lawmakers including Senator John McCain and House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner.

It also imposed sanctions against a number of Canadian officials, lawmakers and public figures in response to Ottawa's bans on Russian authorities over Crimea.

Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum on March 16, in which 96.8 percent of the participants voted for reunion with Russia, with a turnout of 83.1 percent.

SF/NN/HRB

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