Russia says further sanctions on Iran would be ‘counterproductive’

TEHRAN, June 7 (MNA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that further sanctions on Iran would be “counterproductive.” Lavrov made the remarks in an interview with reporters in the Chinese capital Beijing, where he is attending a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that opened on Wednesday and closes tomorrow. “Additional sanctions are completely counterproductive, they are already adopted not only by the Security Council, but by some states, which we think undermines our collective actions,” AFP quoted Lavrov as saying. The UN Security Council has approved four rounds of sanctions on Iran in order to pressure the country over its nuclear program. A number of Western countries have also imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran over the allegation that it is seeking to produce nuclear weapons. Lavrov was speaking after Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao on a visit to Beijing, during which he will also meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The meeting will come as Russia prepares to host the next round of talks between Tehran and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) over Iran’s nuclear program, which is scheduled to be held in Moscow on June 18 and 19. Russia and China have both resisted Western sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program. The meeting with Ahmadinejad will be Putin’s first since his return to the Kremlin for a third term after a four-year stint as prime minister.