Russia”s president said Moscow was ready to consider new sanctions on Iran for its nuclear defiance on Monday and the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that he cannot confirm that all of Tehran”s atomic activities are peaceful.
President Dmitry Medvedev emphasized that he still hoped for a settlement with Iran on nuclear issues that would negate any need for a fourth set of U.N. Security Council sanctions. Still, his comments appeared to be the strongest sign to date that the Kremlin was prepared to drop traditional opposition to such penalties if Tehran remain obstinate.
“Unfortunately, everything we have tried to say to the Iranian leaders, all our appeals to them to work on a peaceful nuclear program under the control of the international community, haven”t provided any results,” Medvedev told reporters in Paris.
“We believe that it”s not over yet, that we can still reach an agreement,” he said. “But if we don”t succeed, Russia is ready — along with our partners, as I have already said — to consider the question of adopting sanctions.”
