US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is meeting Russian leaders to seek support for a tougher stance on Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
Mrs Clinton, in Moscow at the end of a European tour, is having talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
She has warned that the world will not "wait indefinitely" for proof that Iran is not making nuclear weapons.
Tehran, which has recently revealed a second uranium plant, insists its programme is peaceful.
Mrs Clinton has been invited to meet President Dmitry Medvedev at his private residence in the suburbs of the capital, which officials say will provide a more relaxed setting for the discussions.
Mrs Clinton, in Moscow at the end of a European tour, is having talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
She has warned that the world will not "wait indefinitely" for proof that Iran is not making nuclear weapons.
Tehran, which has recently revealed a second uranium plant, insists its programme is peaceful.
Mrs Clinton has been invited to meet President Dmitry Medvedev at his private residence in the suburbs of the capital, which officials say will provide a more relaxed setting for the discussions.
No quid pro quo
The secretary of state's visit comes at a crucial moment in relations between the United States and Russia, according to the BBC's Richard Galpin, in Moscow.
Russia has traditionally opposed tougher sanctions on Iran but Mr Medvedev has appeared to shift his stance after the revelation that Tehran had a second, covert uranium enrichment facility.
President Barack Obama pledged to reset relations with Russia when he came to office, and his meeting with Mr Medvedev in July went some way towards that, our correspondent says.
Since then, Mr Obama has met a key Russian demand to scrap plans to deploy interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic as part of a US missile defence system in Europe.
Although the Americans insist they do not expect anything in return, our correspondent adds, Iran will be very high on Mrs Clinton's agenda in Moscow.
US officials say their government wants Russia to support, or at least not oppose, the idea of the UN Security Council imposing tougher sanctions on Iran if it fails to live up to its international obligations.
The council has urged Tehran to halt uranium enrichment activities.
Iran says it has a right to a nuclear programme, which it insists is designed to meet its energy needs.
Russia, which has the power to veto resolutions as a permanent member of the Security Council, has described further sanctions as effective.
The war in Afghanistan and a nuclear arms reduction treaty are also expected to feature prominently in Mrs Clinton's talks.
Mrs Clinton has also visited Switzerland, the UK, and Ireland on her five-day European tour.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
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