A statement, posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry website on Saturday, said the US and its European allies exerted pressure on non-permanent members of the UNSC during the vote on a draft resolution aimed at preventing the re-imposition of sanctions against Iran. "As a result, the countries that succumbed to blackmail and threats were unable to clearly explain the nature of their opposition to the obsolete sanctions that existed before the JCPOA."

Stating that the Western countries are desperate to legitimize their gross violation of Resolution 2231, which was approved by themselves, the statement noted that the outcomes of Friday's vote do not create any obligation for other nations to put any curbs on the Islamic Republic.

Russia noted that the process of snapback of sanctions cannot be considered complete yet, despite the American European move to subordinate others to their fundamentally flawed policies.

“We must reject the Western dictates and their absurd actions in international affairs, as well as abuse the authority and powers of the UNSC to settle political scores with Tehran,” it said.

The statement came after a draft sponsored by South Korea as the current president of the UN Security Council, following an appeal by Britain, France, and Germany — known collectively as the E3 and European Troika, all signatories to the 2015 Iran deal — to restore previous sanctions by activating the “snapback mechanism.” 

Only Russia, China, Pakistan, and Algeria voted in support of the draft that called for the permanent end to sanctions on Iran, whereas the US, Britain, France, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Denmark, Greece, Panama, and Somalia voted against, with Guyana and South Korea abstaining.

The Russian statement recalled its repeated opposition to “the provocative and illegal nature of the actions of the European signatories to the JCPOA, and once again warned that the European moves have nothing to do with diplomacy and will only lead to an escalation of tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

“We had explained in detail with convincing arguments why the E3’s snapback request cannot be considered a notification within the framework of paragraph 11 of the Security Council Resolution 2231," the Ministry said, emphasizing that the draft of the rotating presidency for a vote does not meet the requirements of the resolution.