President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that Russia’s support for new UN sanctions against Iran was unacceptable and called on President Dmitry Medvedev to rethink his support for the US-led move.
Iran was snubbed by Russia and China last week when, just hours after it offered to ship some of its enriched uranium abroad, Washington announced that all five members of the UN Security Council backed a new sanctions draft.
In an unusually strong criticism of the Russian government, Mr Ahmadinejad used a televised outdoor speech to directly address Mr Medvedev who, he said, had bowed to US pressure to support the squeeze on Iran over its nuclear programme. “If I were the Russian President, when making decisions about subjects related to a great nation (Iran) ... I would act more cautiously, I would think more,” Mr Ahmadinejad said.