MOSCOW, 16 October 2005 — Russia and the United States feuded openly yesterday over Iran’s nuclear program, with Moscow defending Tehran’s right to enrich uranium for atomic energy while visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Iran could not be trusted with the process.

Speaking to reporters after discussing the issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Rice staked out starkly differing positions on the specific question of whether Iran should be allowed to enrich uranium for any purpose.

“All members of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) have this right,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia had seen no evidence to support US claims that Iran sought to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear energy program.

Rice retorted: “It is not a question of rights... the NPT doesn’t come only with rights but also with obligations. This is not an issue of rights but of whether or not the fuel cycle can be trusted in Iran.”

While their comments only reiterated the well-known and differing positions of Russia and the United States on the Iran nuclear question, the spectacle of Lavrov and Rice arguing over the specific point of the enrichment process was an unusual occurrence and underscored their split.

Following her talks with Lavrov, and before leaving Russia for London and talks with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Rice traveled outside Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin at his official country residence.

The Russian leader referred to Rice’s trip earlier in the week through Central Asia, a region where Moscow and Washington are jockeying for influence. “I would like to congratulate you on the results of your trip to Central Asia, and I know this trip was very successful,” Putin told Rice.

With a subtle twist of diplomatic irony, the ex-KGB officer added: “If you could kindly tell us about the results of your trip in greater detail, we would appreciate that.”

Rice said the United States felt it had a strong partnership with Russia which allowed the two countries to “get together so frequently and talk on a whole range of issues before us.”

The United States suspects Iran may use its fledgling nuclear power program, being developed with help from Russia, to hide development of nuclear weapons and has sought to have the issue taken up by the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions.

Russia says it shares US opposition to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, but insists there is no evidence that Tehran was trying to do so — indeed that it could not do so even if it wanted to, using the Russian technology it is using to build its first nuclear power station at Bushehr.

“Iran must continue to cooperate with the IAEA so that any questions that arise can be fully clarified,” Lavrov said, adding that the NPT regime must “under no conditions” be violated. Earlier this year, Iran acquiesced to international demands for tighter controls on the fuel rods used to generate nuclear energy, signing an agreement with Russia under which Russia would deliver the fuel and then recover the spent fuel rods under international supervision.

Rice reiterated the US view that oil-rich Iran “needs no civilian nuclear program,” but gave some ground by acknowledging that if it was to have one the nuclear fuel repatriation agreement with Russia “is a reliable way to make certain that there are no problems with the fuel cycle.”