Moscow (AsiaNews) – Russia's delivery of nuclear fuel to Iran would make it unnecessary as well as uneconomical for Tehran to pursue uranium enrichment, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Veremya Novostei.
“We believe that Iran has no economic need to proceed with its programme of uranium enrichment,” the minister said, adding that his country is trying to persuade the Iranians that a freeze in the programme “is to their advantage” since it would lead to talks with countries in the United Nations Security Council.
Such talks, he said, would aim to end any suspicion that Iran had any secret aim to produce nuclear weapons.
Russia this month delivered the first shipment of nuclear fuel to the Bushehr nuclear plant, which Russian engineers are building under a US$ 1 billion contract.