Russia: Iran must halt uranium enrichment

AP: Russia called on Iran Wednesday to halt all uranium enrichment activities, saying the international community is demanding “urgent and constructive steps” from Tehran to ease concerns about its nuclear program. Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) – Russia called on Iran Wednesday to halt all uranium enrichment activities, saying the international community is demanding “urgent and constructive steps” from Tehran to ease concerns about its nuclear program.

“Iran must heed the call to stop work linked to uranium enrichment,” the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying. He spoke a day after a meeting in Moscow of diplomats from the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany.

The envoys discussed imposing sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, but failed to reach agreement, a U.S. diplomat said.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns gave no specifics as to the type or timing of sanctions and he refused to say whether Russia had softened its opposition to sanctions against Iran.

But he reiterated that the United States expected action in the Security Council after an April 28 deadline for Iran to stop uranium enrichment.

The United States and some of its allies suspect Iran’s nuclear program is meant to produce weapons, but Tehran insists the program is for peaceful purposes.