MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia on Friday cautioned world powers against rushing toward sanctions to punish Iran for spurning a U.N.-brokered proposal to send its uranium abroad for processing.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Tehran to work constructively to allay Western fears over its nuclear program but said world powers should take a sober approach and beware of pushing Iran into a corner.
“If our logic is to punish Iran, or if we take up the posture of the offended… this will not be a sober approach,” Lavrov told reporters at a news briefing.
“It is not a simple situation and it is not made any easier by the domestic political situation in Iran,” said Lavrov, who added that world powers should not risk undermining the work of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“We must not take any steps that could open up risks to the work of the agency in this country,” he said.
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