Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani on Thursday shrugged off threatened UN sanctions against Tehran and said he would visit Russia for talks on the Islamic republic's disputed atomic program.
"The sanctions are about missiles and our nuclear industry and since we are already sanctioned in this regard, this will not have any effect on the economic situation and on the people's daily life," Larijani was quoted as saying by the semi-official Mehr news agency.
If the UN Security Council adopted a resolution imposing sanctions, he added, it would not have any effect on Iran's trade situation.
"Seventy percent of the (proposed) resolution is a psychological operation," he said.
"Certainly the adoption of a resolution given the Russian revision to it is not an important thing."
The UN Security Council is formally reviewing a European draft resolution mandating sanctions against Iran for its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear fuel work that could be used to build atomic weapons.
However Russia has proposed amendments to the draft, which is also opposed by China.
The draft mandates nuclear- and ballistic missile-related trade sanctions against Tehran. It also calls for a freeze on assets related to Iran's nuclear and missile programs and travel bans on scientists involved in those programs.
But it would allow Russia to continue building a one-billion-dollar nuclear power plant in Bushehr -- an exemption that diplomats say is crucial to efforts to gain Moscow's approval.
Larijani said he would hold talks with the Russian authorities on latest developments.
"In the next two days I will go to Moscow to talk about the regional matters and also to find a solution for the nuclear case," Larijani said.
The announcement came as a planned visit to Moscow Thursday by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was cancelled.
Iran spurned an August 31 UN Security Council deadline to halt its uranium enrichment program -- a process that can lead to the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons.
Iran insists its nuclear program is solely aimed at generating energy, vehemently rejecting US allegations it is seeking nuclear weapons.
Larijani repeated his call for negotiations as a way out of confrontation.
"Though the position of both sides has changed ... the path to negotiation is open," he said.