Medvedev urges Iran to explain 'military components' of nuke program
Friday, July 16, 2010
By: ICEJ News

US condemns terror bombing in Iranian mosque

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev on Thursday continued to ratchet up the pressure on Iran to explain the “military components” of its nuclear program and to fully cooperate with the international community, noting that that although his country has a strong trade ties with Tehran he shares with other world leaders a grave concern about Iran’s renegade nuclear program.

"Iran is our rather active trading partner and has been tested by time, but that does not mean we are indifferent to the way Iran is developing its nuclear program and we are not indifferent to how the military components of the corresponding program look," Medvedev said. "In this respect, we are waiting for the appropriate explanations from Iran," he said during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to the Russian Urals.

“The information that is being received comes both from open sources and from special services that deliver relevant reports and shows that these [nuclear] programs are being developed. Iran should have enough courage to begin full-fledged cooperation with the international community, even if it does not like some questions that are being asked," said Medvedev.

He added that Iran's nuclear program was "an issue of national pride for Iranians," but was also being "actively exploited by Iranian authorities in order to achieve their own political goals."

Medvedev’s comments reflect a growing rift between Russia and Iran since Moscow voted for new sanctions on the Islamic Republic at the UN Security Council last month.

In related news, Rostekhnologii head Sergei Chemezov said on Thursday that Russia’s contract to supply Iran with the S-300 air defense system has not been canceled, and that the final decision on whether or not it will be honored "must be made by the president."

Meantime, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned Thursday's attack on a Shiite mosque in Iran that killed 22 people, even as Iranian officials pointed the finger at the US and promised a response.

The Sunni Jundallah insurgency is believed to be behind the bombing, making it the latest attack by the group against Iranian targets in a campaign that has spanned several years and claimed hundreds of lives.