President Vladimir Putin said at a joint press conference after the meeting that both countries advocated a peaceful solution to the long-running dispute over Iran, accused by many countries of seeking to produce nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian energy program.
"Both sides confirmed their resolve to find solutions to such complex issues by peaceful, diplomatic means," Putin said.
George W. Bush said he and President Putin had agreed that Iran should not have nuclear weapons, and added the U.S. would soften its position if Iran proved it had rejected its nuclear program.
Iran has been under pressure to halt uranium enrichment, a necessary step for building nuclear weapons, but has so far failed to respond to a package of incentives to fold its nuclear programs proposed by a group of international mediators, forcing the Iran-6 countries to refer the Islamic Republic's "nuclear file" to the UN.
The U.S. has been the most outspoken opponent of Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions, consistently demanding sanctions, and refusing to rule out the use of force.
Bush said at the joint news conference that both the U.S. and Russia believed the problem should be resolved via the UN Security Council, which has authority to impose economic sanctions and other less stringent punitive measures.
He also said the U.S. and Russia had agreed to continue bilateral contacts on the issue.
