Ahmadinejad lauds Russia’s position on Iran nuclear issue: Kremlin

TEHRAN,Jan.5(MNA)--In a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday,Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran backs Moscow's efforts to resolve the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program diplomatically, the Kremlin said. "Dmitry Medvedev noted with satisfaction the Iranian president's positive assessment of the Russian initiative -- a plan of gradually restoring faith in the Iranian nuclear program. The two sides agreed to continue consultations on this question," the Kremlin said in a statement, according to AFP. The two leaders spoke after European diplomats said Wednesday that the European Union had reached preliminary agreement on an EU-wide ban on oil from the Islamic republic in a move backed by the United States.