News

MOSCOW — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has urged Russia to delay launching Iran's nuclear plant until Tehran proves that it's not pursuing atomic weapons.

Clinton made the statement Thursday when asked about Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's statement that Iran's first nuclear reactor is set to be launched this summer.

Clinton said Iran is entitled to civil atomic energy, but added that it would be premature to go forward with any nuclear project when Tehran has yet to prove the peaceful nature of its program.

The U.S. and other nations are concerned that Iran has been trying to secretly develop nuclear weapons.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded that Russia still intends to launch the plant in the Iranian port city of Bushehr. Both spoke after their talks in Moscow.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton said Thursday that Washington and Moscow are making "substantial progress" in negotiating a replacement pact to an expired treaty on limiting their strategic nuclear arsenals.

Clinton spoke in Moscow during a two-day visit for talks on a range of international issues, after a one-on-one meeting with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

The long-awaited replacement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty — which expired Dec. 5 — is a pillar of the so... >>>