TEHRAN -- Tehran on Friday slammed Canada’s fresh sanctions on Iranian media news outlets, saying the move is in violation of people’s basic rights and exposes the West’s empty rhetoric regarding free access to information and freedom of expression. “The U.S. government’s sanctions lunacy has turned into a virus that is rapidly spreading to its friends,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a post on his Instagram account. Canada on Wednesday imposed new sanctions on six Iranian individuals and four entities over alleged human rights violations in the country and continued actions to destabilize regional peace and security.