Russia, Iran agree diplomacy only way to solve nuclear issue

Leaders from Russia and Iran agreed there was no alternative to a political and diplomatic settlement to the Iranian nuclear issue, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Friday.

In a statement summing up President Vladimir Putin's visit to China, Ushakov said Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, reached the consensus during their meeting in Beijing.

"Russia, as an active participant in talks between six nations and Iran, calls for the strictest observance of the nonproliferation regime," Ushakov said.

"Putin and Ahmadinejad shared the opinion that there is no alternative to the political and diplomatic settlement to the problem. They also stressed the importance of the upcoming meeting of the political mediators in Moscow," he said.

According to Ushakov, Putin and Ahmadinejad also exchanged views on bilateral relations and cooperation on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Beijing.

Iran has maintained its nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes, but U.S.-led Western nations suspect it is seeking to develop a nuclear weapon.

The latest round of talks between Iran and the six world powers, Russia, China, the United States, Britain, France and Germany, is scheduled to be held in Moscow on June 18-19.