MOSCOW, March 20 (UPI) -- There is nothing in the Iranian nuclear program to suggest there is an effort to develop a military component, a Russian defense official said Friday.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters Friday that Moscow did not believe Iran was attempting to develop a nuclear-weapons program, RIA Novosti reports.
"The Russian Federation continues to believe that there are no signs of the (Iranian nuclear) program being switched toward military goals and that it is of an exclusively peaceful nature," he said.
Iran is plagued by sweeping economic sanctions endorsed by the United States in part due to its controversial nuclear program.
A February report by the regulatory International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had slowed its enrichment activity, but it found the Iranian nuclear program ambiguous in its intent despite years of monitoring.
Russia, however, has offered assistance for Iran to develop a civilian nuclear program without violating international regulations.
The nuclear facility at Bushehr, Iran, is a Russian-built complex.
U.S. President Barack Obama extended the U.S. sanctions in Iran earlier this month, saying the nuclear threat remained present.
Obama, however, released a video tape with Persian subtitles Friday on the occasion of the Iranian new year, calling for "engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect."
