Russia: Iran Attack Would Cause Catastrophe

By Alexei Anishchuk

MOSCOW, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Russia warned on Wednesday that an attack on Iran would cause a catastrophe and said U.S. and European Union sanctions against Tehran were aimed at triggering popular discontent by "strangling" the economy.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Western sanctions against Iran and talk of a potential attack undermine efforts to revive negotiations aimed at ensuring it does not develop nuclear weapons.

Speaking at his annual news conference, Lavrov said Western nations must focus on efforts to revive long-dormant talks between global powers and Tehran "and not on sanctions, let alone threats to use force".

"I have no doubt that it would pour fuel on a fire which is already smouldering, the hidden smouldering fire of Sunni-Shi'ite confrontation, and beyond that (cause) a chain reaction - I don't know where it would stop," he said of an attack.

"On the chances of whether this catastrophe will happen or not you should ask those who repeatedly talk about this," Lavrov said.

Israel has often said it could strike Iran to stop it developing nuclear weapons, and tension has increased following a Iranian threat to block the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial oil shipping lane, if sanctions prevent it exporting oil.

Lavrov emphasised Russia's opposition to further U.N. Security Council or Western sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme, which the United States and its European allies fear is aimed at producing weapons.

"All imaginable sanctions that could influence Iran's conduct in the nuclear sphere ... have been exhausted," Lavrov said.

Additional sanctions "are aimed at causing a strangling effect on the Iranian economy and the situation of the Iranian people, probably in the hope of provoking discontent," he said. (Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk, Writing by Thomas Grove and Steve Gutterman)

Comments

[cosmicdart]

11:10 AM on 01/22/2012

Perhaps we should colonize outer space as soon as possible before ideological and religious differences turn Earth into a cauldron of radioactive, chemical, and biological fire. It's necessary for us to escape from this state of absolute incompetence mixed with absolute destructive power. As hundreds of self-sufficient colonies spread throughout our solar system, we'd have a better chance of saving ourselves from ourselves. The human race is now in self-destruct mode. Dodo's are running amuck everywhere. Time is short!

[Daryush Iranparast]

01:29 PM on 01/20/2012

Most people I talk to in Iran believe that (NOW) it is not the US that wants a war with Iran but Iran that wants a war. Reason is that Iran is being chocked and if things go this route, the price of Iranian oil will decrease, which in turn makes things harder for the Mullahs in Iran to fund their expensive habits and huge protective police, aka Baseej. As long as oil is flowing but Iran doesn't get it's fair share of income, why would anyone but Iran worry? So with a war, Iranian regime gets new life in its veins at the price of destruction of the land. Yet prices of oil WILL INCREASE causing the system gain more funds to continue on its route. I am not saying this is the way it is, but many Iranians in my city think this is what it is.

[firstad]

04:24 AM on 01/20/2012

any mouse- you are dreaming. The US is not going to protect Russia and China oil profits with Iranian oil at the expense of the US economy, and you are completely ignoring the main issue. Understand...the US and Western alliances will NOT allow Iran to take their nuclear ambitions to the point where they get a weapon or the ability to produce such. The sanctions are coming. These are not the days of Neville Chamberlain when the west tried to avoid a war. Iran has only one choice. Back down and agree or be economically destroyed. That is what Iran is bringing upon the world and itself.

[DreamWeaver2nd]

09:39 PM on 01/19/2012

Russia putting a check on trouble. Interesting development.

[Regal Royal]

05:31 PM on 01/19/2012

If Iran rolled out a nuke tomorrow the world would be a far safer place, safer for the kids of Iran who wont get bombed by American missiles and safer for young American troops who wont die fighting another illegal war.

You have to respect the noblemen of the past who, when their country went to war, would be on the front line. I wonder how many wars there would be if the board of Halliburton and the advisors in the White House had to lead the charge, very few I would say.

[cosmicdart]

07:43 PM on 01/19/2012

Unfortunately that would lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that might lead to the total annihilation of one billion Middle Eastern people within a few minutes. We could use all those trillions of dollars that we'd otherwise need to spend on an arms race instead to ensure our national renewable energy independence. We could build 1000 nuclear, or geothermal power plants, or a solar power complex that puts out one trillion watts of electric power for just one trillion dollars in investment. And we'd get the money back through electric sells. We get no money back from wars, only debt. Wars are keeping us from being the best that we can be as a nation.

[Daryush Iranparast]

01:33 PM on 01/20/2012

I don't believe any country would us Nuke. Pakistan as a failed state is more responsible because of Nukes. And arm race of any kind has never caused wars, lack of it, or imbalance is the cause of war. I personally believe either all have nukes or none. Since none is impossible, all should have it and most probable to have peace if no country dares to challenge another with war. India and Pakistan are good examples of that. Also, countries such as Saudi kingdom or UAE would not acquire the technical knowhow but will hire more advanced nations to give them and run their nuke, if they were going to have it.

[Jan Harper]

03:25 PM on 01/19/2012

Russia should open a naval base in Iran later this year.

They don't need Israeli UAV's anymore now that China is producing superior models and willing to share specs.

[cosmicdart]

02:51 PM on 01/19/2012

The more powerful a nation is, the harder it crashes onto the sharp rocks off shore should it make a simple mistake cuz of an unwise Captain of State at the helm. I say this of Banks, Insurance Companies, and Large Corporations as well. In prehistoric times giant dinosaurs were more at risk than timid mice. There are many small Nations who have a higher standard of living than the United States. There's a price that we pay to be the policemen of the world.

[thnkit]

12:30 PM on 01/19/2012

"Don't you worry about the foreign minister. The foreign minister will do anything I tell him. If I say: 'take down your trousers and sit with your bare bottom on a block of ice', Gromyko will do so until further notice."......................Nikita Khrushchev

Nothings changed!!!

[Chopin]

03:43 PM on 01/19/2012

Do you have a source for this "famous quotation"?

[Gerald OHare]

10:27 AM on 01/19/2012

All my life the Russians have been talking war. They huff and puff, make a lot of noise as if anyone cares about what the Russians say.

[looneydoone]

12:15 PM on 01/19/2012

All my life the Americans have been talking war, overthrowing governments, assassinating foreign leaders http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/CIAtimeline

Overtly and covertly, America is a war mongering people

[Gerald OHare]

01:50 PM on 01/19/2012

Tell that to the people of Kosovo.

[cosmicdart]

02:37 PM on 01/19/2012

Geronimo would agree!

[looneydoone]

05:36 PM on 01/19/2012

And who "settled" what's now the USA ? Those same murderous, war mongering, imperialistic Europeans !

[cosmicdart]

08:22 AM on 01/22/2012

How would every nation on Earth practice peaceful isolationism without making themselves so weak militarily that the one militant nation among them would subdue all of the rest? How would they defend themselves against another Kaiser Bill, Mussolini, Joe Stalin, Genghis Kahn, Hitler, Santa Anna, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, King George, or Geronimo?

[gabrielfranklopez]

07:27 AM on 01/19/2012

nuke the that what they would do give the chance

[KIVPossum]

05:16 AM on 01/19/2012

More and more Moscow is the voice of reason in world affairs. The US only wants to wage wars and must always have an enemy

[bccmeteorites]

12:31 AM on 01/19/2012

It would be another in a long list of failed social experiments.

[Justaminute]

12:30 AM on 01/19/2012

Don't let anybody make you think God chose America as his divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with justice and it seems I can hear God saying to America "you are too arrogant, and if you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power, and I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name. Be still and know that I'm God. Men will beat their swords into plowshafts and their spears into pruning hooks, and nations shall not rise up against nations, neither shall they study war anymore," - Martin Luther King, Jr.,

[Chopin]

12:27 AM on 01/19/2012

Russian warns against US pushing strangulating sanctions and destabilizing embargoes. Its warning of catastrophe is couched in diplomatic language. Here's a vivid probable full-spectrum war scenario:--

ESCALATING SCENARIO OF WAR ON IRAN, REGIONAL WAR AND WW3:--

(The "Days" represent significan­t related major events rather than actual days.)

Day1: "Shock + awe" from US attacks on 1,000 Iranian military sites.
Day2: Iran unleashes blistering barrage of missiles, blockades Hormuz Strait, sinks one US carrier.
Day3: Global stock markets crash on outbreak of war, dropping 10% first day, 30% by end of week, 40% by end of month.
Day4: Global crude oil spikes to $150-$250/barrel, US gasoline skyrockets to $10-$15/gallon.
Day5: Iraq erupts in civil war Sunni vs. Shiite vs. Kurds
Day6: Arab Spring threatens or erupts into regime change in SaudiArabi­a and Bahrain.
Day7: War erupts between Israel and neighborin­g Arabic-Isl­amic countries
Day8: Global alliances form and consolidat­e, US + Israel + fracturing NATO on one side,
China, Russia, Turkey, Iraq, Afghanista­n, Venezuela + major LatinAmeri­can countries + Muslim oil producing countries (Nigeria, Indonesia) on other side.
Day9: Oil pricing delinked from USDollar, USDollar replaced as world reserve currency, Dollar crashes in freefall, triggering hyperinfla­tion in US, ultimately national debt default, economy crashes. Euro crashes, Eurozone fractures and disintegra­tes.
Day10: Nuclear war triggered by design, desperatio­n, or accident.
Day11: MiddleEast region, Western+Ea­stern Europe, Central Asia become vast uninhabita­ble radioactiv­e contaminat­ed wasteland (millions of square miles)­, orders of magnitude worse than Fukushima.
Day12: ???

[Amock]

07:16 AM on 01/19/2012

First the USA lacks the ability, the money, the manpower, and the will of the USA people to wage yet another War. Especially during a Recession and during an election year.
Second it is FAR cheaper and much more efficient to build a missile then it is a Carrier. A barrage of missile would sink more then a Carrier! No way to shot them all down and it only takes ONE!
Third Europa is in no mood for a conflict/War given its current climate. So USA will go this one alone.
Israel? When has Israel EVER done ANYTHING for the USA? Never have they been with us in any War but TURKEY has! Turkey is a NATO member! Israel is NOT! We are obligated to come to the aid of a fellow NATO member. Israel just sucks us dry and steals our secrets!
China/Russia/India/Italy/Europa get alot of their oil from Iran. They will not stand with the uSA

Use a Nuke against a Nation that has NEVER threatened you, has not invaded a neighbor in over 400 years and see how many friends you have! China will not and neither will Russia and they both have the ability to return that favor to USA!

[YoBear]

10:10 AM on 01/19/2012

Your post makes sense. Pacifism reins. So Iran will develop its nukes, they will be untouchable, and then we will see what happens next.

Though I'm not sure Europe will be as idle as you think. They did step up in Libya.

[Chopin]

01:53 PM on 01/19/2012

That's a sober appraisal of the strategic and tactical elements in the looming war.

But what should not escape people using critical thinking and objective observation is the fact that the FIRST AND EARLY CASUALTIES of a total war would be highly industrialized nations whose economies are highly dependent on oil, and HEAVILY DEBT-LADEN NATIONS with fragile currencies and unstable financial systems.

The ultimate casualties of an eventually escalated nuclear war will be all forms of life on planet earth with widepread deadly radioactive contamination for the next 4.5 billion years, and the collective soul of humankind on planet earth. It will be completely meaningless to talk about sides in a total war in WW3. It will be mass psychosis and mass death and destruction on an unimaginable scale. As Albert Einstein said with wisdom and sober prescience: "One thing I am sure of -- World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones." (paraphrased)

[Gerald OHare]

10:29 AM on 01/19/2012

I think you should stick to music there Chopin.

[Chopin]

01:19 PM on 01/19/2012

Normal rational caring people capable of critical thinking would be worried sh*tless about the trend towards and probability of total catastrophe, regardless of what side one is on.
Mindless people with empty heads and missing souls would respond with tell-tale snarky one-liner response to show their thoughtless heads and unconcern.

In this approaching war, there will be no innocent bystanders.

[Freenation]

11:57 PM on 01/18/2012

aasasa