Russia: Iran continues to ignore international concerns
Moscow expresses concern over underground uranium enrichment facility, says Tehran continues to ignore international calls to halt nuclear program
Russia joins the global struggle against Iran's nuclear program – The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday expressed regret and concern about the launch of an underground uranium enrichment facility in Iran, but has urged all parties to avoid hasty moves.
The ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the launch of the facility near Iran's holy city of Qom demonstrated that Tehran was continuing to ignore international concerns about its nuclear program.
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It added, however, that Iran had notified the International Atomic Energy Agency in due time of the launch of the bunker facility.
The ministry said Russia was urging all parties involved in the Iranian nuclear standoff to avoid "ill-considered and abrupt moves," which could undermine prospects for talks with Iran.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said that oil producers are willing to increase their output if the European Union ends up issuing an oil embargo on Iran. "Though these states won't say it, they are willing to up the production," he said, adding that Saudi Arabia, the main oil producer in the world, already announced that it would "fill any shortages that might occur."
In Washington, Barack Obama's former Middle East adviser Dennis Ross said that the American president is not ruling out a military option against Iran's nuclear program.
In an interview with Bloomberg News, Ross said that if sanctions against the Islamic Republic fail, Washington won't hesitate to use military force to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Ross noted that Obama views a nuclear Iran as an imminent threat to the international community, and while using force could carry negative consequences, not using force might lead to even greater consequences.
However, the former adviser stressed that the Obama administration will only use force as a last resort and if it becomes completely imperative.
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