MOSCOW, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Russia was seeking a peaceful solution for the Iran nuclear issue and asked Iran to properly reply to a new UN resolution, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

    "This policy is invariable. We are holding it actively, and we will be doing the same in the future," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.

    He called Iran to adequately reply to the UN Security Council resolution 1747 and a follow-up joint statement by the foreign ministers of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United states.

    The resolution "is not a way of punishing Iran, but an appeal for resuming negotiations," he said, noting it confirmed Iran's right to peaceful atomic energy "in full conformity with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency."

    The UN Security Council unanimously adopted the resolution last Saturday with tougher sanctions to pressure Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities.

    However, Iran on Sunday said it decided to limit its cooperation with the IAEA, saying the resolution would have no impact on Iran's economy.