France has welcomed Russia's decision on new sanctions against Iran, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Saturday.
"I would like to welcome, in particular, the decision by President Medvedev in regard to voting for sanctions on the Iran issue. This (sanctions) would be impossible if he had not made this choice," Sarkozy said.
Sarkozy noted that Russia and France have very similar positions on many international issues.
The UN Security Council on June 9 voted on a resolution to bring new sanctions against Iran because of its refusal to cease its uranium enrichment program. This is the fourth resolution against the Islamic Republic that the UN Security Council has made toward Tehran.
The new resolution seeks sanctions against Iranian banks operating abroad if there is suspicion that they are operating in the development of Iran's nuclear or rocket programs. A UN embargo has also been expanded to forbid arms deliveries to Iran.
