Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, when asked during a joint press conference with the Iranian foreign minister about U.S. threats to sanction anyone who acts contrary to U.S. claims that UN sanctions have been reimposed on Iran, said: “These attempts have no prospects,” and are “further proof of Washington’s desire to move like a bull in a china shop, putting ultimatums to everyone and punishing everyone indiscriminately because, in my view, the incumbent U.S. administration has lost its diplomatic skills almost for good.”
Lavrov continued: “Nonetheless, we are continuing to maintain our dialogue with the Americans, trying to make them listen to reason and to explain to them that an approach to international law like this has absolutely no prospects, but I do not know if our efforts will be successful.”
Lavrov couldn’t say what other countries might do in the face of these U.S. threats. “Russia definitely will not build its policy taking into account these aggressive and unlawful demands that have no legal force,” he said. “Hopefully, other countries cooperating with Iran will take a principled approach and be guided by their national interests rather than the need to obey the directives issued from overseas.”
