Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged Iran on Monday to keep the moratorium on uranium enrichment until the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) clarifies all the issues about its nuclear program.

"The moratorium on uranium enrichment inside Iran must stay in effect until IAEA experts clear out all the issues that arose in the past," Lavrov said, quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency.

"This approach requires efforts on the part of all the sides concerned, including the trio of European mediators, and Russia is ready to contribute to that process," he said.

Moscow is keeping open its proposal to set up a joint venture to enrich uranium for Iran on Russian territory, which would fully meet its power industry's demand for nuclear fuel, Lavrov added.

The Russian plan, backed by Western countries, is seen as a crucial attempt to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear program before the March 6 meeting of the IAEA, which reports said could start a process leading to UN punishment against Iran.

Iranian Vice President Gholamreza Aghazadeh, who is also the country's nuclear chief, said on Sunday Iran and Russia have agreed in principle on setting up a uranium enrichment joint venture and negotiations on the issue will continue.

Itar-Tass said an Iranian delegation is due to arrive in Moscow later this week for more talks.

Source: Xinhua