Russia hints reservations on anti-Iran sanctions

clipped from www.presstv.ir Despite endorsing Western efforts to pressure Iran over its nuclear program, Russia says it still prefers to resolve Tehran's nuclear issue through diplomacy rather than sanctions. Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters during a trip to Paris that there was still room for diplomacy in dealing with Tehran over its enrichment activities. “We will concentrate all efforts on finding political and diplomatic solutions," Reuters quoted Lavrov as saying on Tuesday. "These efforts have not yet been exhausted.” Lavrov's comments come a day after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a statement that Moscow would support a new round of sanctions against Tehran as long as they did not create a humanitarian crisis. Russia and China, both veto-wielding members of the 15-nation UN Security Council, have strongly resisted Western calls for 'punishing Iran' with further sanctions in the past.

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