Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to address the UN Security Council before it votes on a resolution that would impose new sanctions against his country’s nuclear activities.

Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov issued a veiled warning to Washington not to exploit Iran’s nuclear issue and meddle in Tehran’s political affairs.

India’s Essar Group is in talks with Iran to develop the giant Azadegan oilfield, where a deal with a Japanese firm ended last year, to ensure fuel for a planned refinery and steel plant in the Islamic nation.