MOSCOW, January 12 (RIA Novosti) - The removal the UN's nuclear watchdog's seals at Iranian nuclear facilities is not a violation of international law, the Russian foreign minister said Thursday.
"The seals were removed in the presence of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who must accept an invitation from a country to be present at such operations," Sergei Lavrov told the Ekho Moskvy radio station.
Iran announced Tuesday that it was resuming nuclear research after a two-year hiatus and had removed the seals at its nuclear facilities. The international community reacted with caution to the move with several countries expressing alarm.
Russia, which has previously consistently defended the Islamic Republic's right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and is helping to build an $800-million power plant in the country, said it was disappointed with the step.
Iran's resumption of nuclear research will be discussed next week during a London meeting between a trio of European Union nations - France, the United Kingdom and Germany - Russia, the United States and China, the minister said.
The U.S. has long suspected Iran of pursuing a secret weapons program and has insisted that the country's "nuclear file" be referred to the UN Security Council, which has the right to impose sanctions if it finds Iran to be in breach of its international commitments.
Lavrov said Russia would attempt with the other countries to persuade Tehran to resume the moratorium on its nuclear programs.
"This will be the key issue of the discussion during a meeting under the IAEA Board of Governors," Lavrov said.
The minister said that, while acknowledging Iran's right to develop peaceful energy, the overwhelming majority of members of the global community, including Russia, believed that Iran must fulfill certain obligations related to this right before realizing it. In particular, he said that these obligations included a detailed report from Iran to the IAEA on what it was doing.
Lavrov said that it was important that Iran maintained a moratorium until these issues had been clarified.
Iran has so far refused to re-impose the moratorium and at least one senior official has dismissed the West's concerns as the results of a "colonial taboo" in relation to poorer countries seeking to use nuclear energy.
