The introduction of economic sanctions against Iran is not on the agenda at present, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday commenting on the six nations' agreement to return Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.

"The statement of the 'six' means that there will be work on a resolution that will make the demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) binding and after that Iran will be given time to think," Lavrov was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

"In its first step, the UN Security Council would support the International Atomic Energy Agency's demands to Iran. But if the situation remains unresolved, we shall think. But there is a clearly worded agreement reached that any talk about economic sanctions would be proportional to steps that must be taken to attain the main goal -- Iran's cooperation with the IAEA," he said.

"We must see how the situation will develop further. Sanctions must be exclusively an instrument of bringing Iran back to full- fledged cooperation with the IAEA, not an instrument of punishment," he said.

The international nuclear package, which was presented to Iranian leaders by European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana on June 6, was designed to lure Iran into suspending uranium enrichment in return for political and economic incentives and nuclear technological assistance.

The foreign ministers from the six countries which have crafted the package for Iran -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, met on Wednesday in Paris and agreed to return Iran nuclear issue to the UN Security Council.

"We are concerned over the fact that Iran has still not answered questions concerning its previous nuclear activities," Lavrov said, adding that "the UN Security Council as its next steps should in its resolution firmly support the IAEA position."

"The proposals made to Teheran meet its economic interests." The minister also noted that Iran has been given enough time to think over the proposals put forward by the "six."

Western countries have asked Tehran to respond ahead of this weekend's G8 summit in St Petersburg. Tehran has snubbed the calls, insisting on giving an response in August.

Speaking about the construction of a nuclear power plant by Russian specialists in Iran's Bushehr, Lavrov pointed out that the construction project in general, including the return of spent nuclear fuel, is considered not as a threat, but as an example of cooperation with Iran in this sphere.

Source: Xinhua