[Unofficial translation from Russian]

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Question: On the one hand, the Americans are moving up their new aircraft carriers, as if they are going to attack somebody. On the other - they have become quieter because of their problems in Iraq. What can you say in this connection?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: I have not seen any change in the rather aggressive rhetoric from Washington. It is continuing, as are US actions to increase its military presence in the region. This will also be one of the questions which we want to clarify in Washington. What stands behind this? Such a hard-line policy against Iran, which presupposes in the American vision much harsher measures than those envisaged by the latest resolution of the UN Security Council. We would like to get explanations on what stands behind this. I would not like to see that after we reached consensus on the Iran resolution of the UN Security Council, a leading country, in this case the United States, would begin pursuing also its own policy of additional sanctions that are not agreed upon in the Security Council, bear a unilateral character and generally inflict harm on both the collective work regarding Iran and our common task of drawing Teheran into resumption of the talks.

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