Russia believes that one-sided U.S. sanctions against Iran are unacceptable and should be lifted, the "Russia-Iran" Friendship Association head Alexander Palishok said in an interview with Iranian IRNA news agency.
He said that the Islamic Republic has the right to develop a peaceful nuclear program, reiterating that Russia supports Tehran in nuclear sphere.
Palishok said that Iran is pursuing its nuclear program within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The U.S. and other Western countries accuse Iran of developing nuclear weapons under cover of peaceful nuclear energy program. Tehran denies the charges, saying its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful in nature. Until now, the UN Security Council adopted six resolutions to stop the nuclear program of Iran and the process of enriching uranium. Four of these resolutions provide economic sanctions against the country.
Iranian nuclear program has caused concerns since 2003, when the IAEA became aware of its secret activities. In late 2003, Iran signed the Additional Protocol to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and voluntarily announced suspension of uranium enrichment. However, it later returned back to these activities.
Last Saturday, Istanbul ended another round of talks of representatives of the six international mediators (Russia, China, United States, France, Britain and Germany) with Tehran to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton assessed the talks as unsuccessful.