Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 14 / Trend E.Tariverdiyeva /
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement shows that Moscow prefers not to risk damaging its relations with Iran more than damaging its relations with the U.S. at this time, American expert on Iran Mark N. Katz believes.
"Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov is signaling very clearly that Russia is not going to support the attempt by the U.S. and others to obtain stronger UN Security Council sanctions against Iran," Professor of Government and Politics of the George Mason University's Public and International Affairs Department Katz wrote to Trend by e-mail.
Russia believes all political and diplomatic means in the situation with Iran's nuclear program have been exhausted and protests against sanctions bypassing the UN Security Council, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Oct.13, RIA Novosti reported.
"We have restraint attitude towards sanctions in principle they rarely give the result," Lavrov said.
According to the minister it is possible only when all possible diplomatic measures are exhausted. "In the situation with Iran it is far from true," Lavrov added.
Katz said that even Russia which favors a diplomatic way, do not believe in the success of such a solution.
"While Lavrov is calling for further negotiations with Iran, I sincerely doubt that even he believes that these will accomplish anything," Katz added.
The U.S. and other Western countries accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the guise of peaceful nuclear energy program. Tehran rejects these accusations, claiming that its nuclear program is aimed at meeting the country's electricity needs.
The UN Security Council adopted five resolutions, three of which are on the imposition of sanctions against Iran, requiring it to abandon uranium enrichment, and two resolutions contain the warning.
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