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MOSCOW, March 2 (AFP): Iran's top nuclear negotiator accused the United States Thursday of trying to "destroy" Russian efforts to work out a solution for easing global worries over Tehran's nuclear programme.
"The Americans' insistence on referring the Iran nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council signifies the destruction of the Russian proposal," Larijani said at a news conference.
"I think the Americans are really an obstacle to the Russian plan.
"We think that, in ideal circumstances, the Russian proposition can be developed," he said. "We are trying to take positive steps in order to successfully implement the Russian proposal."
But even after Iran and Russia stated that they had held contructive negotiations, "the Americans announced that they were worried".
"The Americans are lying when they say that Iran is pursuing the goal of creating nuclear weapons. This does not correspond to reality," Larijani said.
He was speaking a day after Iran and Russia failed to reach a breakthrough in high-stakes talks in Moscow on a Russian proposal aimed at resolving the impasse over Tehran's nuclear programme, a plan centering on joint enrichment of uranium at a facility on Russian soil.
Larijani described the negotiations, including discussion of Iran reinstating a voluntary moratorium on uranium enrichment work, as "very useful" and said Moscow and Tehran were in agreement on a number of issues.
The Iranian negotiator however admitted that no date had been set for further consultations between Russia and Iran.
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