Iran's top diplomat to discuss nuclear energy issues in Moscow

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi will arrive in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss his country's controversial nuclear program with Russian officials. The Iranian top diplomat is scheduled to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his two-day official visit to Russia. "The sides will discuss a broad range of bilateral cooperation issues, as well as the regional and international agenda, including issues concerning the Iranian nuclear program," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The West suspects Tehran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program, which Iran strongly denies, insisting it needs atomic energy solely for civilian purposes. Iran is currently under four sets of UN sanctions over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment. The Iran Six, which comprises Russia, the United States, China, Britain, France and Germany, has been trying since 2003 to convince Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program and to alleviate concerns about its nuclear ambitions. In February 1998, Russia signed a contract with Iran to complete a construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The construction of Iran's first nuclear plant was begun in 1975 by several German construction companies. They pulled out following a U.S. embargo on hi-tech supplies to Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent U.S. Embassy siege in Tehran.