Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, Igor Ivanov said, "Russia's premise is that all issues related to the Iranian nuclear problem should be resolved at the negotiating table."
He said Russia would be helping advance the negotiating process "in every possible way."
Ivanov also said Russia would honor all its commitments undertaken on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the southern Iranian port of Bushehr - a project Western governments fear will give Tehran access to technology that could potentially lead to the Islamic nation developing a nuclear weapon.
"The Russian side will meet all the commitments assumed [on Bushehr]," Ivanov said.
He said he was hopeful that Larijani's ongoing talks with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana would set the stage for a broader negotiating process on Iran.
"We welcome the talks that are being held by Ali Larijani and Javier Solana, and hope they will yield agreements paving the way for full-scale negotiations."
Solana has been trying to persuade Iran to halt its uranium enrichment activities. But the talks have produced no deal so far, prompting the United States and Britain to renew their calls Tuesday for UN sanctions against Iran. Russia and China, two of the Security Council's five permanent members, have opposed the introduction of sanctions.
Last month, Russia proposed creating an international uranium enrichment center in Siberia to allay the West's concerns over enrichment on Iranian soil. The top Russian nuclear industry official said such a center could be set up in association with the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
