"Iran's nuclear bomb is not in the interests of Russia"

Increasing tensions over Iran are making more and more analysts talk about the possibility of a military conflict between the West and Tehran. The renowned German political academic and expert of the Council on Foreign Relations of Germany, Alexander Rahr, answers the questions of "Vestnik Kavkaza"on the potential consequences of the escalation of the conflict between the West and Iran for the three South Caucasian republics. The expert also talked about the possible impact of the crisis around Iran and Syria on relations between Russia and Europe.

Alexander Rahr said that military operations in Iran initiated by Israel or NATO are the worst possible scenario. In case of war with Iran, the South Caucasus countries will be given the role of a major transportation hub for the supply of US troops. Americans will definitely come to Georgia and Azerbaijan with similar proposals. Alexander Rahr believes that Saakashvili would be happy to assist the Americans in this matter. At the same time, tensions within the South Caucasian republics will grow, since it is necessary to remember that Iran could respond with terrible terrorist attacks.
Rahr also said that the position of Russia on this issue is not entirely clear. However, he noted that when Russia's global interests coincide with the West, it always takes the position of the West. Rahr noted that a nuclear bomb in Iran is certainly not in Russian interests, since Iran is in close proximity to Russia and not to the West. A nuclear bomb in Iran is another risk for Russia of creating new NATO bases near its borders. So Russia collaborates regarding this issue with the West, although its main purpose is to prevent the appearance of American bases in Iran. Russia is also ready to cooperate with the BRIC countries (Brazil, India and China), which do not advocate the introduction of tough sanctions against Iran. This cooperation is a possibility for Russia to create a new multi-polar world, as opposed to the existing uni-polar world, Rahr believes.

Author: Orhan Sattarov, head of the European Bureau of VK