U.S. President Barack Obama suggested to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev that the United States would back off plans for a missile defense system in Eastern Europe in exchange for help stopping Iran from developing long-range weapons, The New York Times reported March 3.

Barack Obama AP PHOTO

Obama made the proposal in a secret letter that was hand-delivered to Medvedev over three weeks ago, the Times reported, citing anonymous U.S. sources.

Russia has vigorously opposed the missile shield, which would include sites in the Czech Republic and Poland, proposed by the Bush administration. The stated aim of the shield is to deter Iran from launching nuclear-tipped missiles at U.S. allies in Europe.

According to the Times, Obama's letter said the United States. would not need to build the missile defense system if Iran's efforts to build a nuclear weapon were halted.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the United States on March 2 to restore diplomatic relations with Iran, Russian news agencies reported. "This would be an important element in stabilizing the situation in the region," he said.

Lavrov was scheduled to hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Geneva on March 6, in the highest-level meeting between the nations since Obama took office.