MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. Washington’s sanctions against Moscow and Tehran are absolutely unlawful and do not help reach an understanding with the US, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said following his meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Ansari.

"You know our position, these actions are absolutely unlawful, they do not help reach an understanding and the necessary level of trust between us and the Americans," the senior Russian diplomat pointed out.

"This is sad, it affects our bilateral relations [with the United States - TASS]," Bogdanov went on to say. "I think that it does not add optimism regarding the possibility for us to coordinate our approaches towards a whole range of regional issues, including our relations with such important partner and neighbor as Iran," he added.

On July 27, the US Senate passed a bill imposing new unilateral sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea. The document, dubbed Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, has been submitted to US President Donald Trump for signature.

On July 28, the Russian Foreign Ministry suggested that by September 1, Washington reduce the number of diplomatic and technical staff at the US embassy in Moscow, as well as at the consulates in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok, in order to match the number of Russian staff working in the United States.

Besides, on August 1, Russia suspended the use of a US country house located in the Serebryany Bor area in northwest Moscow and a Moscow storage facility.