TOKYO, February 28 (RIA Novosti, Andrei Fesyun) - The Iranian foreign minister refused Tuesday to accept the Japanese prime minister's advice that the Islamic Republic freeze its controversial nuclear research program, adding that the ongoing negotiations with Russia on uranium enrichment could defuse the situation.
During the negotiations in Tokyo, Junichiro Koizumi told Manouchehr Mottaki that Japan was the only country ever to have been attacked with nuclear bombs, which is why it was particularly sensitive about any nuclear ambitions of other nations.
The U.S. dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 during World War II, instantly killing over 120,000 people, with thousands more dying over the following year due to the radiation. Over 90% of the victims were civilians.
Iran unilaterally lifted its two-year moratorium on nuclear research in January, saying it needed nuclear technology to generate power. However, the decision aroused international fears that the Islamic Republic could be pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program. 
The U.S. and Israel have been pushing to refer Iran to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose economic sanctions on the country if it is found in breach of international commitments.
In the light of this, Koizumi urged energy-rich Iran to abandon uranium enrichment, if it wanted to avoid isolation.
The possibility of the UN imposing economic sanctions against Iran in the wake of the International Atomic Energy Agency's session on March 6 has been raising international tensions, including in Japan, which is a major importer of Iranian oil, receiving about 550,000 barrels a day.
Japan's Inpex company, which is 36% state-owned, said it planned to develop oil fields in Azadegan in southern Iran, despite the U.S. government's objections.
Mottaki said his country would not stand any "nuclear discrimination," and called on Japanese companies to be more active in Iran's 10-15 nuclear power plant projects designed to meet the country's electricity demand of at least 20,000 MW.
However, the Japanese Foreign Ministry later clarified that Mottaki had been talking about foreign companies in general rather than Japanese specifically.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mottaki told Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai that Iran was pursuing nuclear research only for energy. He said Iran wanted to use its right to peaceful nuclear technologies, like Japan.
Mottaki also said that Russia's initiative to set up a joint venture to enrich uranium for Iran on its territory could become a bridge between Iran's nuclear rights and the restoration of international trust.
At a meeting with Mottaki on Monday, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso called on Iran to give a wise and positive reply to Russia's joint venture proposal.
Japan's trade and industry minister said Tehran needed the confidence of the IAEA, which will report on Iran's nuclear file in the UN Security Council early next month, and the entire international community.
The Iranian foreign minister said Iran was prepared to prove the peaceful intent of its nuclear research.
