Moscow, April 8 (Inditop.com/RIA Novosti) The issue of the imposition of sanctions against Iran has become “practical”, Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said Thursday.
“According to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) information, Iran has been developing and experimenting on improved type of centrifuges at a pilot plant for uranium enrichment at Natanz for a long time,” he added.
In March, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev reiterated that fresh sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme were possible, but “not optimal”.
In his message to the annual summit of the 22-nation Arab League, which kicked off in Libya earlier in the day, Medvedev said: “The settlement of Iran’s nuclear problem should be implemented solely by political-diplomatic means in strict accordance with the Charter of the UN.”
This month, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said any sanctions imposed against Iran over its nuclear programme would only increase the Islamic republic’s desire to move forward with uranium enrichment.
Iran’s recent move to begin enriching uranium to 20 percent sparked international criticism, with the US leading calls for new harsher sanctions against the Islamic republic.
Western powers suspect that Iran’s nuclear programme is aimed at making weapons, while Tehran claims it is pursuing nuclear technology for its civilian energy needs.
