Iran downplays new sanction effect over its nuclear program 

    TEHRAN, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Tuesday kept defiant towards a possible new international sanction, saying it cannot stop Iran from developing its nuclear program, the official IRNA news agency reported.

    "The Iranian nation is moving within the framework of its legitimate and legal rights in line with materialization of its objectives," government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham told reporters at a weekly press conference when answering questions over the Berlin meeting by six world powers to discuss Iran's nuclear issue. Full story

U.S. says Berlin meeting sends Iran strong message

    WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- The United States said Tuesday that the meeting of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany in Berlin sends Iran a strong message to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions.

    "It sends a strong message to Iran that it needs to comply with U.N. Chapter 7 resolutions. They're becoming increasingly isolated, and I think this shows that they aren't able to divide us in our commitment to this effort," State Department acting spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said at a briefing. Full story

Russian FM: Iran nuclear issue cannot be solved through violence

    MOSCOW, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday renewed his call for peaceful negotiations to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

    "We are convinced that the problem cannot be resolved through violence, and there is no alternative to involving Iran in the conflict resolution process," Lavrov said in an article published in the Diplomatic Year Book 2007. Full story