Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Iran's recent missile launches caused concern, and has asked for restraint, Russian news agencies reported.

"This is not illegal under any international agreements, but of course when missile launches are accompanied by an unresolved situation around Iran's nuclear program, this concerns us," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Lavrov as saying.

"I am convinced that restraint should be shown," he said.

The Russian top diplomat urged Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to reach a settlement on Tehran's nuclear program prior to the Oct. 1 Sextet Geneva meeting, after talking with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki at the United Nations.

"This meeting is acquiring special significance with the emergence of information that a second plant producing low-enriched uranium is being built in Iran," he said.

"In this context we have made clear our position and are calling for maximum cooperation to be displayed to allow the IAEA to clear up issues with the new facility," he said.

Lavrov also told Itar-Tass that the Geneva meeting of the Sextet political directors will be held "at the level of deputy ministers."

The United Nations Security Council has so far levied three sets of sanctions on Iran. Officials from five permanent U.N. Security Council members -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- plus Germany are to discuss with Iran its latest package of proposals on global issues in Geneva on Oct. 1.

Iranian local English-language Press TV reported Monday that the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has successfully test-fired several missiles including Sejil and Shahab-3 in recent two days, as part of a war game dubbed The Great Prophet IV that started on Sunday.

Iran earlier informed IAEA of the existence of a second uranium enrichment facility, deepening concerns that it has a secret program to produce nuclear weapons.

The United States and other Western powers suspect the program aims to produce nuclear-weapon material, but Tehran contends that the program has no military component and has steadfastly rejected calls to halt the effort.

Source: Xinhua