MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti) - Sanctions or use of force will not allay international concerns over Iran's nuclear programs, the Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokesman said Friday.
"Sanctions could only be discussed when evidence is provided that Iran is pursuing not only peaceful work in the nuclear field," Mikhail Kamynin said.
Kamynin said Russia's position on the dispute around Iran has not changed, and it believed the Islamic Republic must observe the non-proliferation regime, requirements set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog, and meet the UN Security Council's demands.
In a resolution March 28, the Security Council demanded Iran end uranium enrichment and re-open its nuclear facilities for UN inspections. It also ordered IAEA head Mohammed ElBaradei to look into Tehran's compliance with its non-proliferation commitments.
In defiance of the demands, Tehran, which insists on its right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology, announced April 11 that it had successfully produced low-enriched uranium.
The announcement, which came ahead of ElBaradei's visit to the country on April 13-14, added to the crisis, prompting the U.S., France, Germany, Britain, and China to hold informal talks on further steps in relation to Tehran. But their meetings in Moscow this week brought no new decisions.
Russia, which is helping Iran build an $800-million nuclear power plant in Bushehr, has opposed economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic, the measure being pushed for by the United States and its European allies, which fear Tehran seeks to build nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear program.
