Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov voiced doubt on Thursday about whether Tehran would fulfill the terms of a deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey aimed at resolving the Iranian nuclear crisis.

"There are no 100 percent guarantees. Very much will depend on how Iran will approach its commitments. If it strictly abides by them, Russia will actively support the scheme proposed by Brazil and Turkey," Lavrov said.

Signed last week, the deal calls for Iran to deposit a large part of its uranium stockpile in Turkey in exchange for better-enriched nuclear fuel destined for a research reactor in Tehran.

"We welcome this deal. If fully implemented, it will create very important preconditions not just for the solution of the concrete problem -- supplies of fuel for this reactor -- but for improving the atmosphere for the renewal of negotiations," Lavrov said in televised remarks.

But Lavrov gave no indication of how the deal might affect Russia's stance on a US-drafted resolution in the UN Security Council calling for Iran to be punished with a new round of sanctions.

Later on Thursday, Lavrov spoke by telephone to his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki to discuss Tehran's nuclear programme and the Brazil-Turkey agreement, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Russia expressed its readiness to actively support the advancement of the process of negotiation aimed at resolving the situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear programme," the statement said.

Russia has continued to back the push for UN sanctions despite the signing of the Brazil-Turkey deal, angering Iran and leading to a heated exchange this week between Russian and Iranian officials.

The deal spearheaded by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was seen as a last-ditch bid to avoid the new UN sanctions.

But it was received coolly by Western governments, who suspect Tehran of seeking to acquire an atomic bomb under the guise of its civilian nuclear energy programme.

Tehran denies that it is seeking to build atomic weapons and insists that its nuclear programme is strictly peaceful in nature.

earlier related report
Turkey chides US in Iran row, urges support for swap deal
Ankara (AFP) May 27, 2010 - Turkey insisted Thursday that rejecting a nuclear swap deal with Iran would be unreasonable and said that a US push for fresh sanctions on Tehran was creating an "absurd situation."

The swap deal, brokered by Turkey and Brazil last week, does not amount to a thorough solution of the Iran nuclear standoff "but it is a step forward on resolving the swap issue, which is one of the important elements of the nuclear file," foreign ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin told reporters.

"It is true that the glass is half empty... but we say that further action should be now taken to fill itm," he added.

"It is unreasonable to reject the deal saying the glass is half empty."

The spokesman criticised the stance of the United States, which submitted a draft resolution at the UN Security Council for tough new sanctions on Tehran, shortly after Iran, Brazil and Turkey announced the deal.

"Submitting the paper a day after the agreement was reached means that you prefer to turn a blind eye to certain developments... This leads to an absurd situation," Ozugergin said.

The accord calls for Tehran to ship around half its stock of low-enriched uranium to Turkey and months later receive a supply of more highly-enriched uranium suitable for research and medical use.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Monday it had received Iran's formal notification of the deal and would communicate the contents of the letter to the United States, France and Russia.

Western powers have been dismissive of the deal, arguing that it fails to allay key concerns about Tehran's uranium enrichment operations and that the international community should keep up the pressure on Iran.

"If suspicions persist on enrichment... the parties should sit down and talk," Ozugergin said.

"We are telling them to put the (swap) deal in their pockets and go on" talking.

He also hit back at criticism that the deal was technically flawed, notably suggestions that it failed to allocate enough time to produce the enriched uranium Iran would receive.

"We had contacts with Iran for the past eight or nine months... and we shared with third countries the main parameters of the talks. Is it now that they realise the fuel cannot be made within a year?" he said.

"There was time for technical considerations before Iran accepted the deal, but nothing much was said... Now it is our right, and Iran's also, to expect the other side to show good will and give an appropriate response," he said.

Turkey and Brazil, both non-permanent members of the Security Council, are opposed to fresh sanctions on Iran.

"We believe that a ground has been found to give further chance to negotiations," Ozugergin said.

Ankara's Islamist-rooted government, in power since 2002, has notably improved ties with Tehran, prompting discomfort in Israel, once a top regional friend, and raising eyebrows among Turkey's NATO allies.