Hillary Clinton: Not yet the time for new Iran sanctions

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the time had not yet come for more sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. Speaking after a meeting in Moscow with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Clinton praised what she said was Russia's help in tackling the issue. She quoted Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as saying sanctions against Iran might be inevitable, adding: "But we are not at that point yet. That is not a conclusion we have reached. And we want to be very clear that it is our preference that Iran works with the international community...to fulfill its obligation on inspections."

State Department officials had said before the talks that Clinton would discuss with Moscow "specific forms of pressure" on Iran if it failed to keep promises not to pursue nuclear weapons but Clinton denied she had made any requests. "We did not ask for anything today. We reviewed the situation and where it stood, which I think was the appropriate timing for what this process entails," Clinton said. Lavrov restated Russia's position that talk of sanctions against Iran at this stage was counter-productive because international efforts should be focused on diplomacy.