MOSCOW, March 14: Russia held confidential talks n Moscow with Iran on Tuesday on a compromise proposal for resolving the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program. Russia made clear in the talks that it wanted to see the impasse resolved through diplomatic means using the capabilities of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“During the talks, the Russian side reiterated its attachment to diplomatic means for resolving the problem using the means of the IAEA,” a spokesman for the Russian security council said.

The Russian delegation in the negotiations was led by Igor Ivanov, the head of the security council, while the Iranian team was led by Ali Hosseini Tash, the deputy secretary of Iran’s national security council.

The talks in Moscow came a day after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov bluntly rebuked Tehran for its refusal to embrace a compromise plan from Russia under which uranium for use as nuclear fuel in Iran’s nuclear power station would be enriched under close supervision on Russian territory.

“We are extremely disappointed by the behaviour of Iran in the negotiations, which does not help those who want to find a peaceful way of resolving the situation,” Mr Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Monday.

The United States accuses Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons under cover of a nuclear energy program. Iran adamantly denies this.

The latest round of negotiations between Moscow and Tehran comes after the IAEA board of governors decided earlier this month to inform the UN Security Council of Iran’s failure to provide satisfactory answers to questions about its nuclear program.

The United States has been pushing for the issue to be taken up by the Security Council, which unlike the IAEA has the authority to impose punitive measures such as economic sanctions on countries that fail adequately to answer IAEA questions.

Russia is helping Iran build its first nuclear power station and has already convinced Tehran to agree that all spent fuel from the plant will be repatriated to Russia.—AFP