Russia urges Iran to comply on nuclear programme

By Edmund Blair

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Russia urged Iran on Tuesday to comply with demands by the United Nations Security Council to curb its nuclear programme, but Tehran remained defiant.

The comments from Russia underlined Moscow's commitment to tackle Tehran after the Security Council passed a resolution on Monday imposing a third round of sanctions on Iran for its refusal to suspend sensitive nuclear activities.

Russia and China have been lukewarm about taking tough action on Iran, compared to the European Union and particularly the United States, which fears it is seeking a nuclear bomb.

"This resolution is a serious political signal to Tehran about the need to cooperate with the U.N. Security Council," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The resolution imposed more travel and financial curbs on Iranian individuals and companies, expanded a ban on trade in items with both civilian and military uses and called for increased vigilance over Iranian financial institutions.

Tehran, which has ignored all Council resolutions demanding it freeze its uranium enrichment programme, remained defiant.

"This resolution is illogical, illegal and totally politically motivated," Speaker Gholamali Haddadadel was quoted by Iran's ISNA news agency as saying.

In Geneva, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said a Feb. 22 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency had cleared up remaining questions about its nuclear programme.