Lavrov says US restores to dirty methods to suppress rivals

(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the United States of employing “dirty methods” such as punitive tariffs and politically motivated sanctions to suppress economic rivals, calling the approach a “diktat.”

In an interview with Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB on Monday, Lavrov criticized Washington’s trade policy toward China, arguing that the US seeks to prevent Beijing from gaining economic and political influence. He highlighted tariffs on Chinese goods that have effectively reached or exceeded 100% and referenced a Senate bill, the Sanctioning Russia Act, which could impose tariffs of up to 500% on countries continuing to purchase Russian energy, including India and China.

“When someone is trying to suppress rivals by 100- or even 500-percent tariffs or imposes sanctions after openly declaring that the reason is political, this is even more than inequality. This is a disrespect for human rights. This is diktat,” Lavrov said.

He also cited sanctions on Russia’s Lukoil and state-controlled Rosneft as examples of Western anti-competitive practices, claiming that such measures reflect a weakening of Western dominance and a turn to anti-democratic and anti-market methods.

The interview preceded Lavrov’s scheduled talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, expected to focus on energy cooperation and trade. Russia and Iran, both under long-standing Western sanctions, have recently strengthened their strategic partnership, with Presidents Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian meeting three times this year.

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