Russia warns Iran over nukes

RUSSIA yesterday warned Iran it was missing out on a chance to start a broad dialogue, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again sought to win the Kremlin's assent for tougher stance on Tehran.

Iran's defiance over its nuclear programme means the country is wasting a chance for talks to find a solution, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said alongside Clinton after her talks with President Dmitry Medvedev.

"It is letting an opportunity to establish dialogue with the international community slip away," Lavrov said.

The top diplomats addressed reporters just before Clinton's talks with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, believed to have a final say on all issues related to Iran.

Lavrov's comments were the latest indication of Russian frustration that Iran has failed to agree a deal with the international community to end the standoff over its nuclear programme.

Lavrov however reiterated Russia's traditional stance that sanctions against Tehran could be inevitable but did not make any public promises beyond that. Lavrov said Medvedev told Clinton during her second and final day in Moscow that the sanctions against Iran should be "smart, non-aggressive and non-paralysing."

"As Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, sanctions rarely work but there may appear a situation when they may end up being inevitable," Lavrov told reporters.

"And we don't rule out that such a situation may appear with respect to Iran."AFP