Russian Foreign Minister To Visit Iran Ahead Of Moscow Talks

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is expected to visit Iran on June 13 to discuss a range of issues, including the next round of talks between Iran and six world powers on the Islamic republic's nuclear program.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov will discuss next week's talks in Moscow on the nuclear standoff, as well as the situations in the Middle East and North Africa and what was described as the "current transformation processes taking place in the Arab world and Syria."

Iran and the P5+1 group -- the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and China – are due to meet June 18-19 in Moscow.

A similar round of talks in Baghdad in May failed to result in a breakthrough over Western demands that Iran halt uranium enrichment.

Based on reporting by AFP, ITAR-TASS, and Interfax