US Policy of Threats and Sanctions Against Iran Has Failed, Must be Abandoned: Russia Envoy

Sunday, 26 April 2026 9:15 PM

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, has said that Washington’s long-standing policy of negotiating from a position of strength through military threats and illegal sanctions has failed against the Islamic Republic of Iran and must be abandoned. 

In a statement on Sunday that aligns with Tehran’s consistent position, Ulyanov stated that the United States has no choice but to drop the elements of blackmail, ultimatums and artificial deadlines if it truly wishes to move forward in any engagement with Iran.

“The US is accustomed to conduct negotiations from the position of strength, threatening to use military force or tighten sanctions. It is obvious that this scheme doesn’t work with Iran,” Ulyanov stated.

“The best way ahead for the US under the current circumstances is to drop all those elements of its position which look like blackmailing, ultimatums and deadlines,” he added.

The Russian diplomat’s remarks come as the Islamic Republic continues to uphold its sovereign rights and legitimate interests in the face of repeated US attempts at coercion.

Iranian officials have repeatedly stressed that Tehran will never accept negotiations conducted under threat, nor will it bow to artificial timelines or sanctions designed to extract concessions.

For years, the Trump administration’s so-called “maximum pressure” campaign — including its illegal withdrawal from the 2015 JCPOA and the imposition of crippling unilateral sanctions — has only served to strengthen Iran’s resolve, boost its self-sufficiency and expose the futility of imperialist bullying.

Iranian leaders have long maintained that the United States must recognize the new realities and abandon its outdated hegemonic approach.

The Islamic Republic has proven time and again that it will not yield to threats, whether military or economic, and remains fully prepared to defend its national dignity and achievements in the nuclear, defensive and regional fields.

As international voices increasingly call for genuine diplomacy based on mutual respect and justice, the Russian envoy’s statement underscores a growing global consensus that Washington’s tactics of intimidation are not only ineffective but counterproductive.

Iran’s foreign minister will meet President Putin in Moscow: Ambassador

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday to discuss the latest developments following a temporary ceasefire that halted US and Israeli attacks against the Islamic Republic.

Iran has made its position crystal clear that any future dialogue with the United States must begin with the removal of the American naval blockade of its ports and the complete and unconditional removal of all illegal US sanctions and the end of coercive policies.

Iran states that it is ready for constructive engagement, but only on the basis of equality and without any form of pressure or deadline dictated by the United States.

Tensions have been running high in the region following the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran, which was launched on February 28 with the assassination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and several top military commanders.

On April 8, forty days into the war, a Pakistan-brokered temporary ceasefire took effect. Talks ensued in Islamabad but stopped short of an agreement amid the United States’ maximalist demands and insistence on unreasonable positions.