Iran should suspend its uranium enrichment activities and continue talks with the international community, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Sunday.

"Iran may at least suspend the enrichment cycle at the current working cascade of centrifuges," Ivanov said in an interview with the Qatar-based al-Jazeera television channel, which was broadcasted on Russia's Vesti-24 channel.

Iran should suspend enrichment activities "to continue talks with the international community, primarily with the United Nations Security Council and Germany, because such a format of talks already exists," Ivanov said.

In June, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States offered a package offering incentives and multilateral talks to Iran in exchange for a freeze on its uranium enrichment work.

Tehran has said that it wants talks but will not suspend its nuclear work as a prerequisite.

The United States is seeking to impose sanctions on Iran through the UN Security Council on the grounds that Tehran is developing a nuclear-weapons program under the garb of a civilian-use program.

Iran, however, says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Russia has so far remained opposed to sanctions against Iran.

"Each country has a legitimate right to benefit from peaceful use of nuclear energy," Ivanov said.

"At the same time, the international community should be absolutely certain that no country, except for members of the nuclear club, is involved or plans to get involved in any programs that may allow it to acquire military nuclear technologies," he said.

Russia is helping Iran build its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr.

Ivanov added that fuel supplies to Iran would not be used for military purposes.

Fuel deliveries will take place "under full control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and after the fuel is spent, it will be returned to Russia for recycling," he said. "This means that not one gram of uranium will be stolen."

Source: Xinhua