Lavrov: Iran ready for dialogue on nuclear programme

Moscow expects Tehran to cooperate with the “Group of Six” global negotiators on the Iranian nuclear program and urges the U.S. White House against supporting new sanctions against the Islamic Republic, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday. “Previous meetings on the issue left us with a clear feeling that the Iranian side is ready to negotiate specific steps [on regulating its nuclear program] as part of the step-by-step reciprocity-based approach,” Lavrov said. Speaking on the eve of the meeting of the “Group of Six,” which comprises Russia, the United States, Britain, China, France and Germany, Lavrov said he expects the group to develop an algorithm for further work and concrete results on Iran. The group, which has been active since 2003, is set to meet in Baghdad on Wednesday. Lavrov also spoke against the proposal for new sanctions against Iran that was announced earlier by the U.S. Senate, saying he hoped the American administration would not back it. “Actions taken before the Baghdad round [of talks] definitely do nothing to create an atmosphere for moving forward,” Lavrov said at a press conference. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, but Western countries accuse it of covertly developing a nuclear bomb. Tehran has been slapped with several rounds of economic sanctions by the UN in recent years over the lack of transparency in its nuclear program.