Russia called on Iran on Tuesday not to restart uranium enrichment and preserve the moratorium until the conclusion of consultations in Moscow in February.

"We are concerned over the latest reports about Iran declaring its intention to resume a number of programs connected with uranium enrichment," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Russia is continuing negotiations with Iran and will try to persuade Tehran to exert patience during the talks, he said.

Experts of the two countries met in Teheran over the weekend but failed to reach an agreement on joint uranium enrichment on Russian territory.

Iran removed seals at its Natanz uranium enrichment plant on Tuesday and resumed research on nuclear fuel.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Tuesday he would try to coordinate with his French and British colleagues to try to figure out whether talks with Tehran still have a future.

Germany, France and Britain have been engaged in lengthy negotiations with Tehran aimed at ensuring that its nuclear energy program is not a cover for secret weapons development.

Russia has been resisting calls from the United States and the European Union to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.

The United States accuses Iran of running a covert nuclear arms program. Iran, however, says its nuclear work is designed merely to meet its energy needs and insists on the right to develop a full nuclear fuel cycle.

Source: Xinhua