Iran denied a press report Tuesday on Russia having withheld
nuclear fuel for the Bushehr nuclear power plant in south Iran unless Iran suspended its uranium enrichment programmes in line with United Nations Security Council demands.

The New York Times reported on Monday that Russia told Iran it will withhold fuel for Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant unless Tehran suspends its uranium enrichment program as the United Nations Security Council demands.

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The ultimatum was delivered in Moscow last week by Igor Ivanov, the secretary of the Russian National Security Council, to Ali Hosseini Tash, Iran's deputy chief nuclear negotiator, the newspaper reported, citing European, American and Iranian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"Ivanov has never made such remarks and I categorically deny the newspaper report," Hosseini-Tash told the Fars news agency.

"Ivanov and the Russian delegation just tried to persuade Iranian side in the meeting that the Bushehr project has no connection whatsoever to the nuclear dispute," the Iranian official added.

The United States State Department had no immediate comment.

A senior European official told the newspaper, "We consider this a very important decision by the Russians. It shows that our disagreements with the Russians about the dangers of Iran's nuclear program are tactical. Fundamentally, the Russians don't want a nuclear Iran."

The UN Security Council was expected to vote this week to impose new sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment, which can be used to generate power as well as nuclear bombs.

Tehran ignored a February 21 deadline to suspend its atomic work, insisting the nuclear program is solely for energy. The West fears Iran is secretly working to build atomic weapons.

In the past month, Russian officials acknowledged the fact that Russia was delaying the delivery of fuel to the reactor in the port city of Bushehr, blaming the decision on the failure of Iran to pay what it owes on the project, not over concerns about nuclear proliferation, the Times said.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told European officials last month that Russia had made a political decision not to deliver the fuel, and would publicly announce that the sole reason was financial, the report said.

The report on the New York Times' web site said a senior Iranian official confirmed in an interview that Russia had informed Iran the fuel would be delivered only after Iran's enrichment of uranium was frozen.