Diplomats: US issued ultimatum to Iran via Russia

Russian source says Clinton asked Lavrov to warn Tehran that failure to resolve nuclear crisis peacefully will result in attack before year's end; 'Israelis blackmailing Obama,' he claims

Ynet|Published: 03.14.12 , 10:26

The US has asked Moscow to warn Iran that it has one last chance to resolve the nuclear crisis peacefully or face an attack in the coming months, Russian diplomatic sources told the Kommersant daily.

The Russian newspaper quoted one diplomat as saying that the threat was voiced by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in New York on Monday.

"The invasion will happen before year’s end. The Israelis are de facto blackmailing (President Barack) Obama. They’ve put him in this interesting position – either he supports the war or loses the support of the Jewish lobby," the Russian diplomat told the Russian newspaper.

According to the source, Clinton said Iran has to make progress in the negotiations with the P5+1 group, which consists of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.

The group is expected to negotiate on Iran’s controversial nuclear program with Iranian officials sometime in April. The negotiators demand clarifications from Iran over the potential militarization of its nuclear program. They also demand access for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to a suspected nuclear site in Parchin.

When asked about the reported American ultimatum, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov criticized the "last chance" rhetoric.

"Speaking in this way is unprofessional. There is no such thing as a last chance. It’s an issue of political will, and Russia does everything to foster such will rather than let it wane," he told Kommersant.

The deputy FM said that the negative trend in the conflict is apparent, suggesting that "those tempted to use military force should restrain themselves and search for a diplomatic solution."

"A war will not solve any problems, but will create a million new ones," Ryabkov warned.

The West believes Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon under the guise of its civilian nuclear program. Tehran denies the allegation, insisting that all its nuclear activities are purely peaceful.