The worst diplomatic stand-off between the US and Russia since the Cold War continues, as the US ordered the Russian consulate in San Francisco to shut down by September 2, along with further reductions in staff at the Russian diplomatic missions in New York and Washington.

The move was another escalation in the tit-for-tat war and a retaliation to Moscow's order to cut over 750 staffers from the US diplomatic mission in Russia, which the US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said were "fully implemented" by September 1.

While the US saw the order to cut the Moscow diplomatic team as "unwarranted and detrimental to the overall relationship between our countries," the answer was prepared “in the spirit of parity invoked by the Russians”, she added.

Now Russia must close its consulate general in San Francisco, a chancery annex in Washington DC and a consular annex in New York.

Russian top diplomat Sergei Lavrov expressed his "regret over the escalation of tensions in bilateral relations, which were not started by us".

Previously the US embassy in Russia restricted the issuance of visas to Russians, prompting a swift condemnation by the Kremlin. A US embassy statement said non-immigrant visas would no longer be issued at the three US consulates in Russia, only at the Moscow embassy from September 1. As most US visas require a face-to-face interview with embassy staff, any Russian intending to visit the US now has to travel to Moscow.

The move was seen as a response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's angry reaction to the new round of sanctions pushed through by the US Senate in August, which lead to the expulsion of 755 US diplomats.

The US embassy said it would stop issuing tourist, business, student, and other visas in the consulates of St Petersburg, Ekaterinburg and Vladivostok, while the visa screening interview waiting times would be prolonged to more than two months. 

Priority visa screening will be granted to officials heading to UN offices, family emergencies, participation in court proceedings, and current students in the US, it said.

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