Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced the “step-by-step” program after talks with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.
The proposal is aimed at reviving nuclear talks with Iran after negotiations in Geneva and Ankara, involving the UN Security Council’s permanent members and Germany, failed last December and January.
“The response to each specific step of Iran would be followed by some reciprocal step, like freezing some sanctions and shortening the volume of sanctions,” Lavrov told a press conference with Secretary Clinton.
Clinton neither endorsed nor opposed Lavrov’s idea. She dodged a question about the Russian proposal, saying, “We are committed to our dual track of pressure and engagement, and we want to explore with the Russians ways that we can perhaps pursue more effective engagement strategies.”
She added that US and Russian experts would further discuss the issues.
A US official told Reuters that talks with Moscow on Iran are hoped to begin the week of July 25.
Lavrov acknowledge the differences in the two countries’ views, calling them “yet another example of the fact that there are problems on our agenda.”
