MOSCOW, October 18 (RIA Novosti) - The international response to Iran's controversial nuclear program should be based on reports by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, Russia's foreign minister said Wednesday.
Britain, France and Germany plan to propose a draft UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against Iran this week, which is expected to exclude Russia's project to develop a light-water reactor in the country. Major powers suspect that Iran's uranium enrichment activities may be part of a nuclear weapons program.
Sergei Lavrov said, "It is necessary to influence Iran, but actions must be commensurate with what is really happening there. And what is happening is clear from reports by the IAEA, which mentions no threats to peace and security, but insists on a compromise through talks."
Earlier this year, the six countries mediating the issue - the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany - offered Tehran a package of incentives to encourage it to suspend nuclear activities, but no deal on the proposal has been reached so far.
The United States and Britain renewed their calls in early October for international sanctions against Iran after talks between the country's key nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana failed to produce any breakthrough.
