ASTANA, May 21. /TASS/. Imposing sanctions against the aviation industry, Washington deliberately causes damage to countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters following a meeting of the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) Council of Foreign Ministers.

"The Americans dissociate themselves from it, but in fact components for American equipment, including aviation, are not supplied to other countries, against which the United States impose sanctions, either," he said when commenting on the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter crash. "The issue is about deliberately causing damage to average citizens that use transport vehicles. When components are not supplied this is directly connected with security downgrading," the minister added.

"The mantras" heard from the West that the sanctions it applies are aimed at improving the behavior of the authorities of respective countries and that they do not affect the interests of average citizens are "a flat and blatant lie," Lavrov noted. "This proves absolute unreliability, inability of Western partners to negotiate in any area, trade, economic, investment or financial, with it having already become the talk of the town evidenced everywhere," he said.

Amid this behavior of the US in particular, the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry and other agencies actively and swiftly replace any parts that were previously delivered from the West, the minister stressed. "Now the production of engines is being fully set up on Russian territory, as well as of all other components for our equipment," he said.

On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian president crashed in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province. Among those on board were Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of the East Azerbaijan Province Malek Rahmati, Imam of Friday Prayer in Tabriz Muhammad Ali Ale-Hashem and the chief of the presidential guard. All passengers and crew of the helicopter were killed in the crash. A commission has been created to investigate the causes of the disaster. First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber became the acting President of Iran. Early presidential elections are scheduled for June 28.