Russia opposes international sanctions against Iran

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has opposed international sanctions on Iran for the political fallout after recent presidential elections, spokesman for the Ministry Andrei Nesterenko has said, Russian website Gazeta.ru reports.

“We are considering all the election questions as domestic problems of Iran. All the difficulties must be settled in conformity with the law of the country,” Nesterenko said. “We think that levelling sanctions is an illegitimate and counter-productive way of solving of the problem. It can provoke undesirable developments in the future of the country.”

Last month's presidential election was held between reformist candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi, and the conservative candidate Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Official results handed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a 63% victory, sparking street protests over alleged electoral fraud, and in support of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi. Many Iranians, and some analysts, have called the controversial election results illegal.