Iran is getting closer to acquiring the capability to build nuclear weapons, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday.

He urged Russian ambassadors and permanent representatives to move away from simplistic approaches toward Iran's nuclear problem.

"We need to finally abandon any simplistic approaches toward this problem. Iran is getting closer to possessing the potential that in principle can be used to create nuclear weapons," Medvedev was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

He reiterated Russia's positions that sanctions would not produce the desired results, but Russia will consistently urge Teheran to show essential openness and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).