MOSCOW, January 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Iran Thursday to resume a moratorium on nuclear research. "We are sure that Iran will make the right choice if it resumes the moratorium," the minister said on Russian TV.

Lavrov said that otherwise, it would be difficult to continue efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem.

"I hope that the European troika [France, Germany and Britain], the United States, China and Russia will work out a reasonable approach to solving the problem through diplomatic ways during their contacts in the nearest days," Lavrov said.

Iran announced Tuesday that it was resuming nuclear research after a two-year hiatus and had removed the seals at its nuclear facilities.