Top U.S. officials say Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has reaffirmed
his view that Iran should face sanctions if it fails to comply with
other efforts to clarify its nuclear program.
The officials told reporters that there was no major difference of
opinion on Iran when Mr. Medvedev met U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton in Moscow Tuesday.
Last month, the Russian president said sanctions in some cases are
inevitable, a statement welcomed by U.S. President Barack Obama and
seen by some analysts as a shift in approach by Moscow, which has long
opposed tough sanctions on Iran.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that imposing
sanctions against Tehran at this stage would be "counterproductive."
After discussing the issue with Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton said it is not yet time for additional sanctions, but said the
U.S. is still considering the measures if diplomacy proves unsuccessful.
She emphasized that both Moscow and Washington agree that Iran is entitled to peaceful nuclear energy, but not nuclear weapons.
