US military action in Iran would have "catastrophic" consequences: Moscow

19 September 2007

MOSCOW: Any US military intervention in Iran would be a "political error" that would have "catastrophic" consequences, Russian deputy foreign minister Alexander Losyukov said in an interview published Tuesday.

"Generally speaking, bombings of Iran would be a bad move that would end with catastrophic consequences," he told local daily.

Losyukov expressed the hope that there would not be an escalation of tension in the region, at least before the end of a summit of Caspian Sea countries due to be held in Tehran on October 16.

"I don't know if the Americans will bomb during the Caspian summit. I think they will refrain, otherwise they would have serious problems," he said in reply to a question.

"We are convinced that there is no military solution to the Iranian problem. It's impossible. Besides, it is quite clear that there is no military solution to the Iraq problem either. But in the case of Iran everything could be even more complicated," he said.

The use of force would only "worsen the situation in the Middle East" and "bring a very negative reaction from the Muslim world."

"Of course I cannot know what is being thought in the United States," Losyukov said, but their military intervention in Iran "would be a big diplomatic and political error."