Russia and the European Union join the United States in condemning Iran for advancing its nuclear program. Iran said Tuesday that it had enriched uranium, in defiance of a United Nations demand. The announcement brought responses of concern from Britain, Germany and France.

But like many European officials, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned against a military attack. "If such plans exist, they will not be able to solve this problem," he said.

The U.S. State Department said it was unable to confirm that Iran has enriched uranium as it says. Experts say that if Tehran's assertions are accurate, it would still take years for Iran would be able to produce a nuclear weapon.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed El Baradei, is scheduled to hold talks with officials in Tehran Thursday, two days after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced his country's success in enriching uranium.

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