Using force and exerting sanctions against our organisations is counter-productive for Russian-American relations, which we consider very important,'' Primakov told reporters. He added that the government will determine its stance on the issue after a detailed study of the US move.

Gennady Zyuganov, whose Communist Party dominates the Russian parliament's lower house, used much tougher language, saying that the US action was an interference into domestic affairs of a sovereign state.

``The United States imagines itself a policeman who has the right to dictate its will not only to nations, but to single universities, scientific laboratories and labor collectives,'' he said.

National Security Adviser Sandy Berger announced the economic sanctions in Washington yesterday, stressing that the US administration has the authority to act against foreign companies or agencies that violate international nonproliferation standards.''

Russia's Lev Ryabev, the first deputy minister of nuclear power, called the move ``unfounded'' and said that the US officials provided no evidence of any Russian cooperation with Iran that breached international non-proliferation agreements.

Last week, president Boris Yeltsin tightened government controls over the export of Russian technology that may be used to develop missiles. Yeltsin amended and broadened the list of items that will be banned for export in order to prevent the proliferation of missile technologies, the presidential press service said. It did not name the items.

The action appeared to be a response to the long-standing US concern that Russian missile technology was finding its way to other nations, with or without Moscow's consent.

The three Russian organizations penalized are the Moscow aviation institute, the Mendeleyev chemical technical university, and the scientific research and design institute of power and technology. The United States accused them of failing to prevent leaks of nuclear and missile technologies to Iran, although it did not specify the charges.