The US and Russia remain different over the issues of imposing new sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.

 

Russia is currently opposed to impose new sanctions, which will be the third if it is adopted by the UN Security Council, according to reports by Russian media available in UN on Thursday.

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is here attending the UN General Assembly, was quoted as saying in a briefing to Russian reporters in New York that the UN Security Council should give Iran more time to carry out its agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

 

In response to what Lavrov said, US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters the IAEA agreement was a technical one and should not delay any action by the Security Council.

 

"That cannot be used as a shield to protect Iran from its lack of implementation of the demands of the Security Council in regard to the enrichment of uranium that Iran has been asked to suspend twice," he said.

 

The UN Security Council has adopted two resolutions - one was in December 2006, the other in March this year - to force Iran to suspend uranium enrichment activities.

 

It was reported that Lavrov and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice exchanged sharp words at a meeting of major industrial states on Wednesday when he condemned Western moves to take unilateral sanctions outside the UN framework.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2007)