Nahmyo Thomas
Newswire21.org

Russia's foreign minister opposed the idea of threatening Iran with sanctions over its nuclear program during discussions with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. 

Instead, Minister Sergey Lavrov, stressed the importance of continued negotiations. Lavrov suggested that as long as Iran is willing to talk and demonstrate compliance with the US and its western allies, then no threats should be made.

"At the current stage, all forces should be thrown at supporting the negotiating process," he told reporters. "We are convinced that threats, sanctions and threats of pressure in the present situation are counter-productive."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad maintains that his country's nuclear program is strictly for civilian energy purposes and not for developing nuclear weapons. However, the discovery of a second uranium enrichment plant near the city of Qum has made the US dubious of peaceful intentions.

During an October 1 meeting in Geneva, Iran agreed to allow UN inspectors to visit the hidden facility, but didn't provide a date for when the inspection could take place.

Credible Threat
Mrs. Clinton agreed with Lavrov on the importance of diplomacy, but pushed for a credible threat of sanctions to back up any dialogue.

Russia's close geopolitical ties to Iran makes their commitment crucial for the threat of sanctions to work. Their decision may also influence China, which has been hesitant to commit to sanctions as well. Clinton, however, did not make any specific requests at this time.

"We did not ask for anything today," she said. "We reviewed the situation and where it stood, which I think was the appropriate timing for what this process entails."

If Iran fails to make visible progress to assure the international community that it isn't developing nuclear weapons, then the US will resume talks with Russia about heightened sanctions.