MOSCOW, Feb. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Russia will maintain contacts with Iran over its nuclear issue until a planned meeting of the UN's nuclear watchdog in early March, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday.

    "On Saturday, consultations were held in Tehran on all aspects of bilateral trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation," Lavrov said, quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency. Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia's atomic energy agency Rosatom, is in Iran for talks with Iranian officials. Itar-Tass quoted him as saying in Tehran that he was satisfied the progress of the talks, including negotiations on Moscow's proposal to create a joint venture to enrich Iran's uranium on Russian territory. "I would not say the talks have been simple and easy, but interest is unmistakably felt," Kiriyenko said.

    Iranian Vice President Gholamreza Aghazadeh, who is also the country's nuclear chief, said on Sunday Iran and Russia have agreed in principle on setting up a uranium enrichment joint venture and negotiations on the issue will continue.

    The Russian plan, backed by Western countries, is seen as a crucial attempt to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program before the March 6 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which reports say could start a process leading to UN punishment against Iran.

    A delegation of the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, is due to leave for Tehran on Sunday for more talks on Iran's nuclear dossier.

    Deputy speaker Yury Volkov, who heads the Duma delegation, told the Interfax news agency that Moscow's proposal "is the last chance to save Iran from international sanctions." Enditem