MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) -- The refusal to acknowledge Iran’s cooperation with the UN over its nuclear program reduces the possibility of an eventual solution to the dispute, Russia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.

“A constant refusal to acknowledge the positive steps taken by Iran in its contacts with the (UN nuclear watchdog) IAEA will reduce the chances of clearing up the issues directly,” Sergei Lavrov said, in an apparent reference to the U.S. and its allies, who have sought tough measures against Tehran.
Iran says its nuclear program is designed to generate energy.
A report delivered earlier this month by the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, stresses the positive aspects of Iran’s “nuclear dossier,” saying the country has provided extra documentation.
The report prompted Iran to call on Washington and its allies to apologize for their suspicions and to demand the lifting of two sets of UN Security Council sanctions imposed on Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment activities.
Speaking to journalists on his way back from Tuesday’s U.S-sponsored Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, Lavrov urged further nuclear talks with Tehran, warning, however, that they should not be politicized.
------------Putin: Iran issue cannot be resolved by force
According to Interfax, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the Iran issue cannot be resolved by violent methods.
“I am convinced that today no regional problem can be solved by force, with a sword, be it Kosovo, Iran or Sudan,” Putin said at the meeting with diplomats in Moscow.
“International missions” can only succeed if the focus is not on the military force but on other factors impacting global processes, the president said.