Iran sanctions fully agreed upon: Russia

Moscow/Istanbul: UN sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme have been "completely agreed upon", a Russian source close to Security Council talks told reporters yesterday.

Iran had earlier warned Russia yesterday against siding with Tehran's foes in supporting fresh UN sanctions over its nuclear dispute with the West.

"The proposal on the sanctions against Iran has been completely agreed upon," said the source, who was speaking in Moscow on condition of anonymity.

"We don't see any problems connected with this. And in my opinion there were never any," he added.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's admonishment of Moscow, until recently an ally, came in Istanbul a day before the Security Council could vote to impose a fourth round of sanctions, which Russia is expected to support.

"There is no big problem, but they must be careful not to be on the side of the enemies of the Iranian people," Ahmadinejad told a news conference in Istanbul, where he was attending a summit along with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Tehran and Moscow recently clashed over Kremlin support for draft UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Putin, who said he expected to meet Ahmadinejad yesterday on the sidelines of the Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Istanbul, had said the Security Council resolution has been "practically agreed" but that sanctions should not be "excessive".

"We will have an opportunity to discuss these problems if my Iranian colleague will have such a need," he said.

"I hold the opinion that this resolution should not be excessive, should not put Iran's leadership, the Iranian people in a tricky situation that creates barriers on the way of development of Iran's peaceful nuclear energy."

The Iranian president said a nuclear fuel swap deal agreed by Tehran with Turkey and Brazil was an opportunity that would not be repeated. The deal, which has been rejected by the West as too little too late, was intended to defuse the crisis.