LONDON, February 1 (RIA Novosti) -The Wednesday visit of high-ranking Russia and Chinese diplomats to Tehran cannot be viewed as a form of pressure on Iran over its controversial nuclear programs, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Mikhail Kamynin said a sovereign state could not be subjected to pressure, and added that the diplomats were making the trip to inform the Iranian leadership about the results of talks in the British capital and to express "the concern of the international community once again."
Representatives of five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States) and Germany gathered in London Monday and agreed to refer the Iranian nuclear file to the Security Council. They also decided that the UN Security Council would refrain from taking any potential measures against Iran before an official report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, in March.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that the key agreement was that the UN Security Council would not yet make any decision on Iran, but would be kept informed about the issue after a two-day emergency IAEA session starting Thursday.
Several countries have accused Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program but the Islamic Republic insists that it only wants nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The French Foreign Ministry said the talks with Iran were currently at a deadlock but a diplomatic way to resolve the nuclear problem was still possible if Tehran took steps to diffuse the crisis.
Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, Iran's top negotiator on the issue, said the referral of Iran's nuclear file to the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic if it is found to be in breach of its international commitments, would mark "the end to diplomacy."
Larijani also said the decision to refer the Iranian nuclear file to the UN Security Council would force Tehran to abandon all nuclear moratoria.
He said the IAEA should continue control of Iran's nuclear facilities in compliance with the additional protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but should reduce the number of inspections.
