Any further sanctions against Iran are unnecessary until Tehran has provided an official reply to the UN nuclear watchdog's fuel processing proposal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"We are counting on a positive reply from Tehran soon. In this connection, the issue of sanctions is not on the agenda," spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said.

He said the proposed scheme could help restore trust, confirm Tehran's readiness for cooperation, and "start substantive dialogue to address the array of issues related to Iran's nuclear program."

Iran has said it is willing to send its low-enriched uranium abroad, but would require explicit guarantees from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it will receive high-enriched uranium for its research reactor.

Under a deal brokered by the IAEA, designed to allay concerns over Iran's nuclear program, the Islamic Republic was offered to send low-enriched uranium abroad for reprocessing and receive nuclear fuel enriched to the 20% level required for use in its research reactor.

Turkey, a neutral country in the long-running international nuclear dispute with Iran, has agreed to store Iranian uranium as an alternative to the original UN deal, under which Tehran would have sent its nuclear fuel to France and Russia.

Western powers suspect Iran of developing a nuclear program aimed at the production of an atomic weapon. Iran says the program is for the peaceful generation of energy.

MOSCOW, November 24 (RIA Novosti)