MOSCOW, February 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has called on Iran to freeze uranium enrichment until key issues in its nuclear program have been cleared up with the IAEA, a Russian deputy foreign minister has said.In an interview posted on the Foreign Ministry's official website on Tuesday, Sergei Kislyak said Iran should freeze enrichment activity until all of its nuclear program's "complicated points have been worked out."
"I believe that all this is entirely achievable if the appropriate political decisions are taken. International concerns can be easily allayed to create more favorable conditions for Iran's extensive cooperation with other countries," Kislyak said.
Western countries, particularly the U.S., suspect Tehran is pursuing a covert weapons program. However, Tehran has consistently claimed it needs nuclear power for civilian power generation and is fully entitled to its own nuclear program.
The Russian official hailed Iran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog in clarifying all the outstanding issues over its nuclear program. "This is very important in the context of restoring confidence related to Iran's [nuclear] program."
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This article is significant because this event could lead to more tension between the countries involved. It makes sense that Russia would be concerned about Iran's nuclear intentions since they are in close proximity. Russia is not trying to abolish Iran's nuclear program, they just want to make sure that everything Iran is working on has been cleared.
