TEHRAN, October 30 (RIA Novosti) - Unilateral economic sanctions against Iran will not promote collective actions for a settlement on the Iranian nuclear problem, the Russian foreign minister said Tuesday.

"We will strictly follow the UN Security Council decisions and confirm our commitment to collective actions and confirm that unilateral actions being taken against Iran do not help collective actions," Sergei Lavrov told journalists after a meeting with Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Lavrov said that during talks with the Iranian foreign minister, he stressed the necessity to actively cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency to clear up all issues the international community has on the Iranian nuclear program.

The Russian diplomat arrived in the capital of Iran on a brief working visit earlier in the day.

Tehran says its nuclear program is purely civilian despite Western claims that it is a cover for a weapons program.