Ahmadinejad says Russian president in campaign against Iran

Tehran: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Russia's president has turned against Tehran and joined the US in spreading lies about its nuclear program.

The Iranian president says Dmitry Medvedev entered a "propaganda drama" directed by Washington by saying last week that Iran was getting closer to being able to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran insists its nuclear work is only for generating power and other peaceful uses, but that has not eased international concerns.

Russia is in a difficult position in the standoff, in part because it does not want to jeopardise decades of political and trade ties with Iran.

Still, Moscow has lately shown increasing frustration with Iran, and last month backed a new round of UN sanctions on Tehran.