U.S., Russia say sanctions a possibility for Iran

SINGAPORE – President Barack Obama said Sunday that “time is running out” for Iran to sign on to a deal to ship its enriched uranium out of the country for further processing, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he still hopes to persuade Iran to send its enriched uranium to his country.

If that plan fails, however, Medvedev said other options remain on the table. While he did not cite those options, the Russian leader has said further sanctions against Iran were possible if it did not open its nuclear program to inspections to prove it was not trying to build a bomb.

Obama and Medvedev, meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Cooperation Council, said Iran was one of the topics they discussed.

Russia and the U.S. are among six nations leading an effort to ensure Iran does not use what it maintains is a civilian nuclear program to develop an atomic bomb. But Moscow also has close ties with Iran and is helping build its first nuclear power plant, forcing Russia into a delicate balancing act.

Iran agreed to the inspections during a meeting with the U.S. and other world powers at the beginning of October, when the idea of Tehran shipping uranium to Russia for further enrichment was first raised.

Under the plan, Iran would send 2,420 pounds of low-enriched uranium to Russia in one batch by the end of the year in order to receive the nuclear fuel it needs for a research reactor that makes medical isotopes.

The arrangement is not a guarantee that Iran could not develop a bomb if it chose to, but is thought to delay the likelihood of that breakthrough.

Iranian politicians have rejected the proposed deal but the government says it is still considering it.

Obama said he and Medvedev agree that the U.S. and Russia will continue to urge Iran “to take the path that leads them to meeting its international obligations.”

Obama added, “We can’t count on that, and we will begin to discuss and prepare for these other pathways.”