Iran's Ambassador to Russia Seyyed Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi says Tehran's nuclear fuel exchange offer is still on the table and Iran is open for talks with the Vienna Group and the P5+1 in this regard, Press TV reported.
"Iran is ready and willing to continue negotiations. Iran answered the questions of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), so there is no point in continuing anti-Iran sanctions," Sajjadi said in a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday, a Press TV correspondent reported.
On May 17, Iran issued a declaration with Turkey and Brazil under which Tehran expressed readiness to swap 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium on Turkish soil with 20 percent-enriched nuclear fuel for use in a research reactor in Tehran.
The trio's agreement came as part of efforts for ending the standoff between Iran and the West over Tehran's civilian nuclear program.
The US and its European allies, however, snubbed the declaration and pushed the United Nations Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.
The Iranian ambassador warned the West's political approach may bring the comprehensive negotiations with P5+1 -- which comprises Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- into a deadlock.
"Western countries want to play the game and turn the talks into a political tool against Iran. I think P5+1 must decide what they want to discuss with Iran and work out on a united policy," Sajjadi said.
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the potential of sanctions against Iran is exhausted, warning neither sanctions nor force could be an efficient tool in solving the issue.
"There is no way but to reach an agreement which can be only politically and mutually acceptable based on the decisions of the IAEA and the UN Security Council. We are against unilateral sanctions, we are for collective actions," Lavrov said.
The West accuses Iran of seeking to develop a military nuclear program. But Tehran has repeatedly stated the civilian nature of its nuclear program, citing reports by the IAEA indicating that the agency's inspectors have found no evidence of divergence in Iran's nuclear activities.
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