Rice: Russians don't wont nukes in Iran
American secretary of state says U.S. Russia discussed Iran's nuclear program, claims two countries have same views on problem
Separately, Rice said the U.S. Ambassador in Afghanistan, Ronald Neumann, had met with Iran's ambassador in Afghanistan. She said the lone meeting was several months ago and addressed security issues in Afghanistan. "We will see when it is desirable to do so again," Rice said on CNN's Late Edition.
Iran has been referred to the U.N. Security Council over fears it may want to misuse its nuclear program to make weapons.
But the Council has been at loggerheads over U.S.-led efforts to ratchet up the pressure on Iran. The United States, Britain and France support tough language calling on Tehran to return to a freeze of uranium enrichment. Russia and China, the two other permanent Security Council members, are opposed.
"We have the same views of the problem. The Russians do not want a nuclear weapon in Iran either," She told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. "It's been very clear in everything that they've tried to do." On Sunday, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran would stand firm against any action taken to pressure it to abandon its nuclear program, state-run television reported.
Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful energy purposes.
