Iran-US Relations

Russia Advises US Against Attack: “Playing with Fire”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that a US attack on Iran would be “playing with fire”.

This week there have been several reports that a US attack on Iran is imminent. Lavrov warns of serious consequences and refers to the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities last year.

“From what we can assess, there were real risks of a nuclear accident,” Lavrov said in an interview with Saudi state television, Reuters reports.

The US threats of an attack on Iran come at a time when talks are underway on a nuclear energy agreement between the countries.

Iran flexes its muscles in the face of growing threats from the US

The Iranian military is showing off its capabilities in several areas following the recent increasingly threatening statements from Donald Trump. This is reported by several media outlets.

Iran and Russia conducted a joint naval exercise in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps simulated war situations in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. Both exercises were aimed at deterring unilateral actions in the region, according to statements in Iranian state media cited by Al Jazeera.

Iran has also issued a warning about missile launches to civilian pilots in its airspace, according to the AP.

In another threatening statement, Donald Trump said on Thursday that “really bad things are going to happen” if the United States cannot come to an agreement with Iran, writes Reuters.

Analysis: The United States and Iran are heading for a war that no one wants

Donald Trump is becoming a prisoner of his own threats in the escalation against Iran, writes CNN's Aaron Blake in an analysis. If Iran does not comply, he will have to show that he is serious. But a long series of polls show strong public opinion in the United States against attacking Iran.

“An already increasingly unpopular president is now considering fulfilling an unpopular promise,” writes Blake.

The Iranian people are also against war, writes Patrick Wintour in his analysis in The Guardian, but the leaders see advantages – that is why they are giving so little in the negotiations.

“They believe that an attack from the US could create loyalty with the regime, and that would give them an excuse to crack down on domestic opposition,” he writes.

All countries in the region lose from a war, writes Ata Mohamed Tabriz in his analysis for Iran International. That is why several of them have made great diplomatic efforts to bring the parties to the negotiating table and avoid an escalation.

They need to protect their infrastructure, trade and political stability, their economies and populations. Ata Mohamed Tabriz notes:

“A controlled crisis can be managed, but not a war.”