Special
report: Iran Nuclear Crisis
MOSCOW, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian President
Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush on Wednesday discussed
over phone on the Iran nuclear issue and U.S. plan to deploy an anti-missile
defense system in central Europe.
"A serious political signal has been sent to Tehran
about the need to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
and the international community," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted the
presidential press service as saying.
They also noted that the recently adopted UN Security
Council Resolution 1747 clearly ruled out the use of force against Iran and
stressed the importance of the joint statement of the six foreign ministers who
confirmed their commitment to negotiations.
Putin expressed Russia's concerns about U.S. plans to
establish an anti-missile defense system base in central Europe.
The UN Security Council passed the Resolution 1747
last Saturday. It called for a ban of Iranian arms exports, a freeze of assets
of an additional 28 individuals and entities involved in Iran's nuclear and
missile programs.
The resolution called for voluntary restrictions on
travel by the individuals subject to sanctions, on arms sales to Iran and on new
financial assistance or loans to the Iranian government. It also asked the IAEA
to report back in 60 days on whether Iran has suspended enrichment work.
Iran on Sunday said it decided to limit its
cooperation with the IAEA, saying the resolution would have no impact on Iran's
economy.
Related:
Iran vows to continue nuclear work despite UN
sanctions
TEHRAN, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Sunday vowed to
push ahead its nuclear work despite more severe sanctions imposed by the UN
Security Council against the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted by
state television as saying that new sanctions "will not halt Iran's peaceful and
legal nuclear program even for a second." Full text
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