Putin: IAEA Can Solve Iran's Nuclear Row with West

ABC News:

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has not exhausted all avenues to settle Iran's standoff with the West over its nuclear program.

Underlining Moscow's opposition to Western calls to let the United Nations Security Council, Putin also said Russia was ready to help resume dialogue between Iran and the West which had broken down in August.

"We consider the potential of the IAEA (the International Atomic Energy Agency) to resolve all the problems of the Iranian nuclear dossier to be far from exhausted," Putin told reporters after a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. READ MORE

Talks between Iran and the European Union aimed a defusing suspicion that Tehran planned to develop nuclear weapons broke down when Iran began processing uranium, the stage prior to uranium enrichment.

Russia, which is helping Iran build a nuclear power plant, has opposed Western calls to refer the crisis immediately to the U.N. Security Council, where it has veto powers.

It has instead offered to enrich Iranian uranium, a process essential for producing nuclear weapons, in Russia.

Iran initially rejected the idea but Russian officials have said they were planning to continue talks with Tehran.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on Monday the EU trio of Britain, Germany and France were keen to give Russians and Iranians more time to discuss the Moscow's proposal.

"Russia for its part will continue to develop the dialogue between our Iranian partners and the other interested parties," Putin said.