Iran Press/Europe: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the accusations against Moscow regarding Alexei Navalny's poisoning as an excuse for a new round of sanctions.
Zakharova stressed at a news conference that Russia would retaliate against any sanctions.
Germany and France said Wednesday night that they are seeking more EU sanctions against Russia over the case of Alexei Navalny, an opposition figure acting against the Russian government.
Navalny showed signs of illness on August 20 while flying from the Russian city of Tomsk to the Russian capital, Moscow, and was taken to a hospital in the city of Omsk after an emergency landing.
Navalny was taken to a hospital in Berlin a few days later at the request of Germany.
The German government said there was evidence that Navalny had been poisoned.
In a new and unsubstantiated claim, the Russian opposition figure has claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is behind the poisoning.
Moscow has emphatically denied the allegations and asked Berlin to provide evidence.
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