Russia said that a vote at the United Nations (UN) Security Council to restore sanctions on Iran would "only heighten tensions."
Russia in particular called out not only the United States and European countries that took part in the vote, but also Korea, which as this month's Security Council president drafted and submitted the resolution.
On the 20th (local time), the Russian Foreign Ministry said, "Russia has repeatedly criticized the European countries that took part in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and Korea, the UN Security Council president influenced by them, for actions of a provocative and illegal nature."
It added, "These actions have nothing to do with diplomacy and will only further escalate tensions surrounding Iran's nuclear program." The JCPOA is an agreement that limits Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief and other provisions, and is also called the "Iran nuclear deal."
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said it was to be expected that the United States, which is exerting unprecedented pressure on European countries and the Security Council's nonpermanent members, would oppose the resolution to maintain sanctions relief on Iran.
It added, "It is noteworthy that Korea abstained on the resolution it submitted," arguing that this was "self-exposure of its awareness of the legal and procedural meaninglessness of its own proposal and of the failure of Europe's snapback claim."
The UN Security Council the day before (the 19th) voted down a resolution to maintain sanctions relief related to Iran's nuclear program development. As a result, unless a separate agreement on Iran's nuclear program is reached by the 28th, UN sanctions on Iran will be restored.
In the vote the day before, four countries—including Russia, China, Algeria and Pakistan—supported maintaining the eased sanctions. However, nine countries—including France, the United Kingdom and the United States—voted against. Korea and Guyana abstained.
The resolution submitted by Korea called for maintaining sanctions relief on Iran, but this is a formal requirement for rejection under the snapback procedure to restore sanctions. The UN Security Council has a provision that if a resolution is not submitted within 10 days after the snapback procedure is triggered, the president must submit it.
The JCPOA is a 2015 agreement under which Iran halts part of its nuclear program in exchange for partial easing of UN sanctions. At the time, it was concluded with the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China, which are permanent members of the UN Security Council.
However, in 2018, the U.S. government under President Donald Trump scrapped it. Since then, Iran has enriched uranium beyond the levels set by the JCPOA, and the United Kingdom, France and Germany objected, notifying the Security Council on the 28th of last month that they were initiating the snapback procedure.