Russia says nuclear Iran not alarming, urges talks

Russia's foreign minister has said Iran's nuclear program poses no imminent threat but urged Tehran to engage the international community.

"The reports that the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] director general publishes on a regular basis contain very precise assessments that do not give reason for any sort of alarm," said Sergei Lavrov, alongside US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on Friday.

He, however, said Iran should not waste the opportunity to engage the West and resolve the issues regarding its nuclear program.

"But that does not mean that we are satisfied with Iranian actions," Lavrov said.

"What we see is that they are letting the opportunity to establish normal, systematic, mutually beneficial dialogue with the international community slip away."

Iran says its work is directed at the civilian applications of the nuclear technology. The West, however, accuses it of conducting a covert program to develop an atomic bomb.

The UN nuclear watchdog has called on Iran to show more transparency and increase its cooperation with the agency.

The agency, however, has said the program, which is monitored by its inspectors, are in line with Tehran's commitments to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The White House, meanwhile, is pushing for new UNSC sanctions against Tehran. Its efforts, however, have been undermined by China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the council which insists dialogue should be the only means in resolving the nuclear standoff.

The Russian minister, however, said Moscow may support to a new round of Iran sanctions.

"As President [Dmitry] Medvedev has said, sanctions rarely work, but situations can arise when they are unavoidable, and we do not rule out that such a situation may arise in relation to Iran," Lavrov was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.

Iran says any sanction against the country has no legal basis.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=121209§ionid=351020104.