Russia's state arms trader Rosoboronexport on Monday expressed its "utmost surprise" at US sanctions against it and state-owned warplane maker Sukhoi, saying its cooperation with Iran was confined to the export of solely defensive armaments.

"Our cooperation with Iran, which is not subject to any international sanctions, is in strict compliance with inter-state agreements and is confined to supplies of only defensive armaments," Rosoboronexport said in a statement.

"Similar supplies of armaments and military hardware to Iran are made by many foreign companies, including from countries which are US and NATO allies," the statement said.

"The sanctions against Rosoboronexport and the Sukhoi company, imposed by the US Department of State on Aug. 4, are met here with the utmost surprise and incomprehension," it said.

The United States on Friday announced sanctions on seven firms from Russia, India, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Cuba for selling restricted items to Iran, which Washington fears is trying to make nuclear weapons.

The two Russian companies are accused of allegedly violating the US internal Iran Nonproliferation Act, which was adopted in 2000 and which bans cooperation with Iran in the sphere of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

However, it "has nothing to do with the activities of Rosoboronexport, which, as it is known, does not export these kinds of weapons or their components," the arms trader said. "The Sukhoi company has not exported its products to Iran at all over the past few years."

"The introduction of these sanctions can be considered as an act which could in the future affect Russian-US partnerships both in the sphere of the fight against illegal supplies of counterfeit Russian-made products for military purposes, in particular to Iraq and Afghanistan, and in cooperation on other promising projects," it warned.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov told reporters on Monday in St. Petersburg that the US sanctions imposed on the two Russian companies had no relation to the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

"As for the introduction of sanctions against Rosoboronexport and Sukhoi by the US Department of State, I can definitely say only one thing -- these sanctions have absolutely nothing to do with the issue of nonproliferation," Ivanov said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2006)