Tehran slams ‘arbitrary and illegal’ US sanctions over missile program

A spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned US plans to impose new sanctions over Tehran's development of ballistic missiles, terming the plans "arbitrary and illegal" and denying any linkage between the missile development and the country's nuclear program.
The sanctions are to be imposed via the US Treasury Department on 12 American and foreign companies and individuals conducting trade that assists Iran's ballistic missile development. A government spokesman in Tehran said supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would view the sanctions as an American violation of the nuclear agreement between Iran and Western powers.