MOSCOW, March 29: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Wednesday that any attempt at using force or coercion to resolve the standoff over Iran’s nuclear programme would be counter-productive.

“Any ideas about a coercive, forceful solution to the issue are highly counter-productive and cannot be supported,” Lavrov told reporters in Moscow.

“We are aiming for the Security Council to do what is necessary on a professional, not a politicized, basis,” he added.

“Exclusively political methods” should be used to resolve a dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme, he continued, adding: “We want all the international community’s concerns to be dispelled.”

Lavrov spoke before travelling to Germany for a key meeting on Thursday of top diplomats from the UN Security Council permanent members plus Germany.—AFP