By Zahra Hosseinian and Marcus George DUBAI (Reuters) - Tehran's streets were filled with young revelers for the second time in four days on Tuesday after the Iranian national soccer team qualified for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil with a win over South Korea. "I feel like God is answering all of our prayers at once," 24-year-old Nasim said by phone from Tehran. "First a new, different president - and now the World Cup. We're beside ourselves with happiness."

Russia on Tuesday urged the West to consider relaxing sanctions against Iran, saying there was unprecedented hope of a breakthrough in the nuclear standoff as Tehran was ready to make a major concession on uranium enrichment. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Iran was now ready to agree to suspend efforts to enrich uranium to 20 percent. If realised, such a move would mark Tehran's biggest compromise for years in the crisis.

Russia believes it is time to consider relaxing sanctions pressure on Iran amid hope of progress in the standoff over its nuclear programme, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying Tuesday. "It is necessary to avoid tightening the sanctions pressure against Tehran and start thinking about ways for a possible weakening (of sanctions) in a way that is tangible for Iran," Lavrov said in an interview with Kuwaiti news agency KUNA following the victory of moderate Hassan Rowhani in Iran's presidential election. sjw/ma/txw

SEOUL, June 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Tuesday congratulated moderate cleric Hassan Rowhani on winning Iran's presidential election, expressing hope for improving relations between the two nations. Rowhani won the Iranian poll on Friday with a landslide victory against conservative hardliners and will succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The South Korean government "congratulates Hassan Rowhani on being elected as the new president after winning extensive support from the Iranian people," Seoul's foreign ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young said.