Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov today warned against the use of force in Iran and against unilateral sanctions to punish Tehran for its nuclear program. "We are convinced that no modern problem has a military solution, and that applies to the Iranian nuclear program as well," Lavrov said after talk with French Foreign Minster Bernard Kouchner.

"We are seriously concerned about increasingly frequent reports that military action against Iran is being seriously considered," Lavrov added.

Kouchner, who is on his first trip to Moscow as foreign minister, made waves over the weekend by saying the international community must be prepared for the possibility of war in the event that Iran obtains atomic weapons. Kouchner had also said that European leaders were considering their own economic sanctions against Iran over its refusal to forgo parts of its nuclear program, indicating that penalties imposed by the UN Security Council have not been effective.

Lavrov criticized the idea of unilateral sanctions by the EU or the United States.

"If we agreed to work collectively and that is represented in collective decisions made by the UN Security Council then what purpose would unilateral sanctions have?" he said.

Kouchner said negotiations are necessary to avert the possibility of war, and suggested the world should not shy away from sanctions to pressure Iran, which the United States and some allies believe is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

"The worst thing to happen would be war, and in order to avoid it, we need to continue talks, and be firm enough regarding sanctions," Kouchner said.