Russian envoy urges Washington to drop ‘blackmail’ tactics

Russia’s envoy to international organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said the United States should abandon what he described as “ultimatums” and “blackmail” in negotiations with Iran if progress is to be made.

“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,” he wrote on X.

Ulyanov said Washington’s approach of applying pressure through threats of military action or additional sanctions has proven ineffective, urging a shift toward more constructive diplomacy.

“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.”