Russia 'worried' by Iran war risk

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed fears over the threat of war in Iran after talks with his French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner.

Iran's nuclear programme is topping the agenda of their meeting in Moscow. Mr Kouchner raised tensions with Iran, saying: "We have to prepare for the worst, and the worst is war."

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, has said force should only be used as a last resort to resolve the dispute.

Mr Lavrov said there was no military solution to any modern problem, including Iran's uranium-enrichment programme.

"We are worried by reports that there is serious consideration being given to military action in Iran," Mr Lavrov said.

"That is a threat to a region where there are already grave problems in Iraq and Afghanistan."

'Lessons of Iraq'

Earlier, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mr ElBaradei urged Iran's critics to learn the lessons of Iraq.

He said any attack on Tehran should only go ahead after being authorised by the UN Security Council.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said he does not take Mr Kouchner's comments seriously.

"Media speculation is different from real words, and we do not take these remarks seriously," Mr Ahmadinejad told Iran's state news agency, IRNA.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Kouchner are holding talks on further UN Security Council sanctions against Iran over its uranium- enrichment programme.

Russia has a UN Security Council veto over any new sanctions, and its support is seen as vital for any new approach to force Iran to end enrichment.

Iran denies it is trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and says it wants nuclear power to generate electricity for civilian use.

Tehran has warned that any new punishments could push it to stop co-operating with the IAEA.

The US has not ruled out a military attack against Iran to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Mr Lavrov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Nicolas Sarkozy would meet in Moscow at the beginning of October. Bilateral relations between the two countries were "developing intensively", he said.

BBC