Moscow will be guided by the judgement of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the upcoming meeting of the agency on the Iranian nuclear dispute, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

"It is most important not to accentuate sensational issues such as when or whether the issue will be referred to the UN Security Council or when the council will make a decision," Lavrov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying after talks with his French counterpart Philippe Douste-Blazy.

Russia will be guided by IAEA assessment of Iran's nuclear program and expects others to do likewise at the meeting, scheduled for Feb. 2-3, he said, adding Russia views non- proliferation as the primary goal.

The IAEA emergency meeting comes at the request of the European Union, which demanded a vote on whether or not to refer Iran to the UN Security Council to face possible sanctions after Iran resumed sensitive nuclear research last week.

Moscow has said it might not block attempts to refer Iran to the council. But Lavrov also said: "We should act only after we have planned the sequence of steps to be taken."

Douste-Blazy said the international community should be "united but also firm" to persuade Iran to stop sensitive nuclear work and return to the negotiating table.

Russia, which is helping Iran build its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr, has proposed to enrich its uranium under a joint venture on the former Soviet republic's soil. But Iran has so far cold-shouldered the offer.

Uranium enriched at low levels can fuel nuclear reactors, but if highly enriched it can be used for nuclear bombs.

The United States accuses Iran of running a covert nuclear arms program. Iran, however, says its nuclear work is designed merely to meet its energy needs and insists on the right to develop a full nuclear fuel cycle.

Source: Xinhua