Clinton Cools Russian Anxiety Over Iran Sanctions

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aimed to cool Moscow’s anxiety over the possibility of Western sanctions on Iran.

 MOSCOW, Russia – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aimed to cool Moscow’s anxiety over the possibility of Western sanctions on Iran.

She, on this first diplomatic trip there, however failed to win a strong public committment from Russia in case talks with Iran fail.

“We didn’t ask for anything today. We reviewed the situation and where it stood,” Clinton said.

The West, namely the United States, has wanted to impose sanction on Iran to try to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons.

However, Clinton shifted the U.S. position from that of the previous administration which stood aggressively against Iran.

Iran has insisted that its nuclear program is for civilian energy needs.

Russia has supported Iran and has offered to supply its plants with enriched uranium as an alternative to Iran producing its own.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated after talks with Clinton that more diplomatic avenues are available to quell the situation.

“There are situations where sanctions are inevitable, when all other avenues are exhausted. But with Iran we are very far from this,” he said.