Iran has been at the center of an international dispute this year over its nuclear ambitions. Some countries suspect the Islamic Republic of pursuing a covert weapons program, but Tehran has consistently denied the claims and says it needs nuclear energy for civilian needs.
Russia believes the adoption of resolutions by the UN Security Council against Iran will damage the constructive atmosphere that currently exists, Ali Larijani said upon arrival in Tehran after a three-day visit to Moscow.
Larijani said he had held negotiations with the Russian leadership in Moscow to discuss bilateral relations and the Iran nuclear issue.
The parties agreed that negotiations were the only way to solve the Iran nuclear issue, Larijani said, adding that bilateral consultations would be continued.
The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1696 July 31, demanding that Iran suspend uranium enrichment by August 31 as a condition for negotiations on a package of proposals offered to Iran by six world powers (Russia, China, Britain, France, the United States and Germany). But Iran refused to fulfill this demand, saying its nuclear research program was meant for peaceful purposes and complied with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Three European states (France, Germany and Britain) proposed a new draft UN resolution on Iran, which included measures to ban the sale of missile and nuclear technologies to the country, freeze Tehran's military bank accounts and impose visa restrictions for officials linked to the nuclear industry.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the draft new UN resolution on Iran offered by the three European states failed to correspond to the position earlier coordinated by the six world powers mediating Tehran's controversial nuclear program.
