Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart George W Bush on Monday discussed the standoff over Iran's nuclear program, the Kremlin said.
The conversation took place at Bush's request, the Kremlin said, but did not give details about the talk's outcome.
The two sides ''discussed interaction on urgent international problems, including the Iranian nuclear issue, on which numerous consultations at various levels are to be held in the coming days,'' the Kremlin said in a statement.
The UN Security Council is expected this week to begin debating new steps aimed at persuading Iran to comply with international demands to halt its uranium enrichment activities.
While the US and its European allies are pushing for possible penalties, veto-wielding UN Security Council members Russia and China have opposed the idea.
The UN nuclear agency issued a report on Friday confirming that Tehran refused to comply with a U.N. Security Council demand that it halt enrichment by that day.
The United States and other nations believe Tehran's nuclear activities are aimed at creating nuclear weapons, although Iran insists its program is peaceful and aimed only at producing power.
Moscow has close ties to Iran and is building the nation's first nuclear power plant, but has been frustrated by Tehran's defiance of international pressure and its refusal to adopt a Russian proposal aimed at easing tension by moving Iran's uranium enrichment to Russian territory.
The United States, Britain and France are planning to introduce a new Security Council resolution this week that would make Iran's compliance with their demands mandatory. They want it under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which means it can be enforced through sanctions or military action _ two options Russia and China have repeatedly criticized.
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