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Sanction regime against Iran exhausted

Everything was done within the U.N. Security Council over Iran’s nuclear programme

MOSCOW, November 14 (Itar-Tass) — Russia believes that sanctions against Iran are exhausted, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday.

“Everything was done within the U.N. Security Council over Iran’s nuclear programme. That is the goal of the sanction pressure. The remaining is being done unilaterally by America, Europe, Japan and Britain,” Lavrov told journalists on Monday on the way to Honolulu.

“Moreover, Americans unilaterally use sanctions in the extra-territorial context by punishing companies of third countries, which carry out the U.N. Security Council resolutions, but they do not correspond to the Americans’ tougher sanctions,” the minister explained.

In his opinion, passions over the Iranian nuclear programme heighten in order to impose new sanctions.

“Despite the fact nothing was found in compliance with the latest military research of Tehran, the IAEA Director-General decides to qualify the well-know data proving that Iran has its nuclear programme. You see the noise to reign in Israel, in Europe and in the United States on this aspect that contains nothing new,” Lavrov said.

“Unfortunately, the Iranian problem is solving in such a way to heighten confrontation and draw a scenario, which is aimed at changing the regime. The latest report by the IAEA Director-General has nothing new. It only proves that Iran has not given exhaustive explanations to the topics, which are called the military research. The topics of these military researches are not new. The IAEA had information on such Tehran’s researches. The IAEA only said Iran had not given an answer.” “Iran answered that it had have originals of documents, which justified its nuclear activities because what it had been given was the computer’s copy.” “We treat this seriously and want Iranians to start the dialogue and answer these questions. And suddenly the IAEA Director-General’s latest report decides to note that the well-known facts prove Iran has the nuclear programme. You see the noise to reign in Israel, in Europe and in the United States on this aspect that contains nothing new,” Lavrov pointed out.

“So, I admit this campaign may be directed. These may be means to heighten passions in the public opinion and to pave the way towards imposing new unilateral sanctions,” the minister added. “Any sanctions yield no result. As for Iran, it is necessary to involve it in the talk that the Sextet proposed. Sanctions or air strikes only put off negotiations,” Lavrov stressed.

“So, I admit this campaign may be directed. These may be means to heighten passions in the public opinion and to pave the way towards imposing new unilateral sanctions,” the minister added.

At the same time, Lavrov said he noted any changes in Iran’s position. “Just a week ago Iranians said finally that they were ready to start talks and discuss these issues, although before they had given up discussions on these problems.”

“One more important element is that the IAEA Deputy Director-General was in Iran and was shown the projects on the construction of a heavy water reactor. The process is very slow, but it is moving. We should be ready for what cannot be solved at a stretch. This is the long process and it does not stand any ruffle and politicisation,” the minister said.

The IAEA has been probing Iran’s nuclear work since 2003, when it was revealed that the government had hidden atomic research for two decades. The U.S. has accused Iran of seeking to build a nuclear weapon, while Iran says its program is for energy production. Russia built Iran’s first nuclear power plant, in Bushehr, and plans to start full operations at the facility “very soon,” Rosatom State Corporation said on May 26.

In July 2010 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Iran was getting closer to achieving the capability to make nuclear weapons. Iran, the world’s fourth-largest oil producer, is rejecting U.N. demands to suspend enrichment of uranium, which can be used both for generating electricity and for making a nuclear warhead. Negotiations broke down in January after talks in Istanbul between Iran and the so-called Sextet, composed of Russia, China, France, Germany, Britain and the United States.

The six world powers, including Russia, China, the United States, Britain, France, and Germany, still disagree on the need for additional sanctions against Iran. In particular, China has announced that it is not the right time to take any new measures against Tehran, as members of the U.N. Security Council have already adopted five resolutions against that country. Iran is under three sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions for refusing to stop its nuclear programme.

Western countries insist that Iran develops its nuclear programme for military purposes, while Tehran claims it pursues purely civilian purposes.