TEHRAN - Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, has said that Moscow will not support a draft resolution put forth by Western countries against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors. 

“It becomes more and more clear that the intention of the Western participants in the #ViennaTalks to adopt a resolution on #Iran at the current session of the #IAEA BoG is very counterproductive for the #JCPOA. Russia will not associate itself with such a resolution on any way,” he said on Twitter.

In another tweet on Tuesday, the Russian diplomat said the U.S. and its European allies submitted a draft resolution against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors. 

“The Western participants in the #ViennaTalks on the #JCPOA submitted a draft resolution on #Iran for adoption at the current session of the #IAEA BoG. For unknown reasons they believe that a resolution is the best way to address outstanding safeguards issues. Extremely doubtful,” he tweeted. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has said Iran will respond in kind to any move by the IAEA board.

Iran has so far exercised restraint and seems to be waiting for the outcome of the board meeting, Khatibzadeh said. But, he added, Iran could take new retaliatory measures should the board adopts a resolution.

“We will naturally respond to any unconstructive move at the Board of Governors firmly and appropriately and those who view the board and the report of the Agency’s director-general as leverage for pressure and a tool for political games against Iran will be responsible for its consequences,” Khatibzadeh said in a statement after the IAEA released its latest report on the state of cooperation with Iran.

Iranian lawmaker Fereydoun Abbasi, who served as the director of the Atomic Organization of Iran, said on Monday that Iran should ratchet up its enrichment in case the board adopted a resolution.