Putin promises Iran continuity in relations: RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has told Iran's president that there will be continuity in Russia's relations with Tehran, RIA news agency quoted a senior Russian official as saying on Wednesday.

"An oral message from Russian President Vladimir Putin was conveyed to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a meeting," RIA quoted Valentin Sobolev, acting secretary of Russia's National Security Council, as saying in Tehran.

"The substance of it is that Russia confirms the principles of mutual relations (with Iran) and her policy will not depend on who is in power," he said. Putin's successor Dmitry Medvedev will be sworn in as president next month.

Sobolev, who heads a high-level Russian delegation visiting Tehran for discussions on Iran's nuclear program, had talks with Ahmadinejad on Wednesday and said the Iranian president had sent his greetings to both Putin and Medvedev.

Iran has set out a series of proposals to Sobolev that are aimed at ending deadlock over Tehran's disputed nuclear program, RIA said, without giving any details about the proposals.

The United States and European states accuse the Islamic Republic of mastering technology to make nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian program.

Iran says it has a right to a peaceful nuclear program. Russia says there is no evidence that Iran is trying to make atomic weapons but has pushed Tehran to be more open about its nuclear program.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by Christian Lowe)