The issue of the imposition of sanctions...
"The issue of new sanctions has become practical," Nesterenko said.
"According to IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] information, Iran has been developing and experimenting on improved type of centrifuges at a pilot plant for uranium enrichment at Natanz for a long time," Nesterenko added.
In March, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev reiterated that fresh sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program were possible, but "not optimal."
In his message to the annual summit of the 22-nation Arab League, which kicked off in Libya earlier in the day, Medvedev said that "the settlement of Iran"s nuclear problem should be implemented solely by political-diplomatic means in strict accordance with the Charter of the United Nations."
This month Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said any sanctions imposed against Iran over its nuclear program will only increase the Islamic Republic"s desire to move forward with uranium enrichment.