Russia, Middle East | featured news

The United States, Russia, China and other key nations have reached agreement on a "strong" Iran sanctions resolution, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday.

The United States, Russia, Britain, France and China on Wednesday voiced support for making the Middle East a nuclear-arms-free zone, which would mean Israel would have to scrap any atomic bombs it has.

Russia will not support "crippling" sanctions against Iran, including any that may be slapped on the Islamic Republic's banking or energy sectors, a senior Russian diplomat said Wednesday.

China on Friday called for patience and diplomatic efforts with Iran to address Teheran's nuclear ambitions, with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jieche saying negotiations with the Islamic republic have "entered a crucial stage."

U.S. President Barack Obama said he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed on Wednesday that serious additional sanctions must be considered if Iran does not respond to proposals to end a nuclear standoff.

Russia has not supplied Iran its advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems, an official in Russia's state arms export service was quoted as saying on Wednesday.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is using her second overseas trip to assess Mideast peace prospects, reconnect with European allies and remind her Russian counterpart that U.S. efforts to rebuild relations with Moscow have their limits.