MOSCOW, March 9 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and the United States are pursuing a well-considered and cautious approach toward the resolution of the Iranian nuclear problem, Russia's foreign minister said Thursday.
Sergei Lavrov told Russian television that he had discussed the issue Tuesday with U.S. President George Bush, who said that the Iranian nuclear program required an extremely cautious approach and all future steps should be thoroughly considered before the UN Security Council took any specific measures.
"We support this position and hope that it will guide the U.S. negotiators," the minister said.
According to Lavrov, the latest developments around the Iranian nuclear program had led to an escalation of the situation, as nations led by the U.S. pressed for sanctions to be imposed on Tehran, and even raised the possibility of military action, while Iran threatened to use its vast oil reserves to retaliate.
"This means raising the temperature of international tension, there is no doubt about that," he said. "Our Iranian colleagues did not contribute to a tranquil and professional consideration of this problem."
Lavrov reiterated that the International Atomic Energy Agency should be the main arbiter in that issue, as experts with the UN's nuclear watchdog knew "all the technical details of the Iranian nuclear program."
The IAEA decided Wednesday to refer Iran's "nuclear file" to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions on Tehran if it is found to be in breach of its international commitments.
Russia's Foreign Ministry called on Iran Thursday to cooperate in full with the IAEA and seriously consider the results of its decision.
