Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, yesterday warned there was no international strategy to resolve the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme and criticised US-led proposals to push the United Nations Security Council into early action over the crisis.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Lavrov questioned plans by the US, Britain and France to call on the Security Council to ask the International Atomic Energy Agency to report on Tehran's controversial programme within 14 days, saying the deadline was "not very feasible".