WP : Reports: Russia Regrets Iran's Decision

Reports: Russia Regrets Iran's Decision

By MIKE ECKEL | The Associated Press | September 1, 2006

MOSCOW -- Russia said Friday it regrets Iran's decision not to halt uranium enrichment by a U.N. deadline, underscoring the growing impatience of one of Tehran's key allies on the Security Council.

"We share the position of (the International Atomic Energy Agency) and express our regret that Iran has not fulfilled Resolution 1696 by the designated date and refused to stop work on uranium enrichment," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin was quoted as saying by the Interfax and RIA-Novosti news agencies.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, however, signaled that Russia continued to have a dim view of efforts to quickly impose sanctions on Tehran.

U.S. and other officials have said that no action will be sought against Tehran before a key European diplomat meets with Iran's atomic chief next week to seek a compromise. Russia _ along with China _ is a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council and both nations are opposed to quick and harsh penalties.

"Russia will put forward a wide range of tools for the resolution of the Iranian atomic problem, but only those tools that for us would advance the purpose of resolution and not shut down the road to it," Lavrov was quoted by Interfax and RIA-Novosti as saying.

Moscow is helping Iran to build an atomic power plant.

Meanwhile, Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed that his country would continue its disputed nuclear program. "Exploitation of peaceful nuclear energy is our obvious right. We will never give up our legal right," state television quoted Ahmadinejad as saying Friday in Maku, Iran.

In a report Thursday, the Vienna-based IAEA confirmed Tehran had not halted uranium enrichment as demanded by the Security Council and said three years of IAEA investigating had been unable to confirm "the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program" because of lack of cooperation from Tehran.

Iran denies it is trying to acquire atomic weapons in violation of its commitments under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, with the sole aim of producing electricity with nuclear reactors.

U.S. and European diplomats have said they are focusing on potential low-level punishment for Tehran at first to win backing from Russia and China. Proposals include travel bans on Iranian officials or a ban on the sale of dual-use technology to Iran.

More extreme sanctions would be a freeze on Iranian assets or a broader trade ban, but those would likely be opposed by Russia, China and perhaps others, particularly since it could cut off badly needed oil exports from Iran.

© 2006 The Associated Press