December 5, 2007 LPAC--The recently released National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report, which has sent a cat among Cheney's killer pigeons, claims Iran has abandoned its nuclear program some time in 2003. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who met with Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili this week, said Dec.5 there was no proof Iran ever had a weapons program, as claimed in the U.S. report. In Tehran, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini dismissed the U.S. report that said Tehran pursued nuclear weapons up to 2003.

Lavrov said Russia supports Iran's determination to cooperate with the IAEA, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin this week urged Iran to answer all IAEA questions and suspend enrichment. Acting Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last September told visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner that neither military force nor unilateral sanctions were acceptable in dealing with Iran's nuclear program.