Russia's foreign minister has declared that new sanctions against Iran would have to wait until UN inspectors had surveyed Tehran's activities.
Iran last month agreed to explain the scope of its nuclear programme to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but critics say the deal allows Tehran to address issues one by one in a long-drawn-out process that could last until December.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov did not exclude another round of UN Security Council sanctions in the future. But he said it was important that the IAEA report "on how those problems which still exist [on] the Iran nuclear program are being treated."
"And as long as Iran is doing at least something which satisfied part of the demands of the Security Council, I believe we have to calibrate our action in the Security Council and elsewhere," he said.
"We are committed to continue to engage the Security Council to support negotiations and to respond from the Security Council to ups and downs in the situation," Mr Lavrov said.
The United States, France and Britain want the council to agree soon to tougher sanctions against Tehran over its refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, which the West suspects is cover for bomb making. Iran says its programme is for generating nuclear power.
Foreign ministers from Germany and the five UN Security Council members - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - meet in New York today to discuss action on Iran.