The EU-3 has proposed this week a set of sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which includes banning sales of missile and nuclear technologies to the country, freezing its military bank accounts, and imposing visa restrictions for officials linked to the nuclear industry.
"I believe the proposed draft resolution does not meet the objectives set out by the Iran-6 [the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany]," Sergei Lavrov said, adding that Russia is still studying the draft.
Russia, China, Britain, France, the United States, and Germany had proposed a set of incentives to Iran in a bid to persuade the country to give up uranium enrichment, which many countries believe is part of a covert weapons program, and warned in a July 31 UN resolution that Iran faced sanctions if it fails to suspend enrichment by August 31.
The U.S. renewed calls for sanctions against Tehran, which has refused to freeze its nuclear program, after further negotiations with Iran failed to produce any breakthrough.
Russia and China, both of which hold a veto on the Security Council as well as major business interests in Iran, have consistently opposed any punitive measures against Tehran to avoid isolating the country, and have pushed for diplomatic moves to induce Iran to comply with international demands.
But Lavrov said Thursday that Russia is ready to discuss ways of preventing supplies of sensitive technology to Iran until the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, receives clarification on Iran's nuclear program.
"Our aim is to maintain all possible channels of communication with Iran, while eliminating the risk of sensitive technologies reaching Iran until the IAEA has received answers to all questions that concern it," Lavrov said.
The EU-3 draft says Russia can continue building the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, under a $1-billion contract signed in 1995. Russia's nuclear chief Sergei Kiriyenko said last month that the plant, being built under UN supervision, will be commissioned in September 2007. It was originally scheduled to be commission in late 2006.
Beijing said Thursday it is studying the document which the authors circulated among the permanent Security Council members this week, but reiterated the need for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear problem.
"Any action to be taken by the UN Security Council should help achieve this objective," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.
