Russia claims breakthrough

Russia and Iran yesterday said a new Russian plan had a real chance of solving the standoff over the Iranian nuclear drive, despite the failure of past initiatives to end a decade of deadlock.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov welcomed his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi in Moscow to discuss the details of a "step-by-step" plan that rewards Tehran for greater transparency with a gradual easing of UN sanctions.
Salehi described the plan as a "first step" towards solving the crisis while Lavrov expressed the hope it would accelerate progress to a solution which has come to a virtual halt in recent months.
Crucially, Lavrov said that the Russian plan was "completely accepted" by the five other world powers involved in the attempts to find a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear drive.
World powers fear that Iran wants to develop a nuclear bomb under the cover of a civilian nuclear energy programme.