Iran says new US sanctions illegitimate, points to Washington's arms sales

Dubai: Iran said on Monday new U.S. sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic`s ballistic missile programme were illegitimate because of Washington`s arms sales in the Middle East.

"The U.S. sanctions against Iran`s ballistic missile programme ... have no legal or moral legitimacy," foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari said in a televised news conference.

"America sells tens of billions of dollars of weaponry each year to countries in the region. These weapons are used in war crimes against Palestinian, Lebanese and most recently Yemeni citizens," he said.