Asked about Ahmadinejad's comments, Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said such moves would violate Iran's obligations to the international community. "The decision to begin unilateral further enrichment of uranium in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and IAEA decisions will only deepen existing concerns and hinder the speedy resolution of the situation around the Iranian nuclear programme," he said. Russia feels Iran has the right to peaceful use of nuclear energy but the world has "serious concerns" about Tehran's intentions, Nesterenko said in comments posted on the foreign ministry's website.
There have been hints of tension in recent days between Russia and Iran, which have long enjoyed close relations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Iran could not keep the world waiting "forever" in its response to a UN-brokered plan aimed at ending tensions over Tehran's nuclear programme. On Tuesday, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili postponed a visit to Russia that had been due to include talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.