Shayan Ghajar

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke out against Russian support for sanctions today in yet another sign of strained relations between the two countries over Iran’s nuclear program.

Russia appears to be trying to placate both sides in the nuclear dispute: Russia supports sanctions, yet Prime Minister Putin says they should not be “excessive.” Weeks ago, when the Tehran Nuclear Fuel Swap Declaration was announced by Iran, Turkey, and Brazil, Russia praised the move as a significant step. Nevertheless, a Russian official close to U.N. Security Council negotiations told Reuters today that Russia had agreed to sanctions against Iran, which is scheduled for a vote tomorrow.

Putin reaffirmed his belief that negotiations would be the best way to resolve the crisis, and that a Russian contract to assist Iran with technical issues in the Bushehr nuclear reactor would proceed in August as planned, according to Russian news agency RTTNews. However, during the very same news conference, the Russian president declared that sanctions had been “practically agreed upon” by the U.N. Security Council, according to PressTV, an Iranian state-owned news agency.

The Iranian government seems unimpressed with Russia’s attempts to placate with words, while pursuing sanctions. For the second time in less than a month, Ahmadinejad has issued harsh criticism of Russia’s double standard, saying, “Russia must not stand beside the enemies of the Iranian people.” The stories regarding Russia’s stance in Iranian state-owned or affiliated media take pains to highlight the doublespeak Russia has been utilizing on the nuclear issue, and indicate frustration and anxiety on the part of Iran’s leadership.

Further highlighting this anxiety is a story in Fars News, a semi-official agency with close ties to the IRGC, stating that Iran’s ambassador to Russia met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to discuss the sanctions bill June 8. The meeting, according to Fars, occurred at Iran’s request. The article neglected to mention any substantive progress resulting from the meeting, saying only that they had discussed sanctions and bilateral ties.

It remains to be seen how relations between the two countries will be affected after the vote in the U.N. Security Council.