Italian FM Franco Frattini Warns Against Israeli Attack on Iran, Saying it Would be Disastrous on the Middle East

Italy Warns against Attack on Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- July 10, 2008

Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities would be disastrous for the Middle East.

"A military attack against Iran would be a disaster, a catastrophe for the entire region, but above all for Israel," Frattini said following a Tuesday meeting with Israeli president Shimon Peres in al-Quds.

The Italian official also said it was important for Israel to "respect the rules" and be patient, a press tv report said.

Frattini's comments came as Iran carried out extensive military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz to ward off threats of US or Israeli military strikes.

During the maneuver, it test-fired nine missiles including the 2,000km-range Shahab 3, which is equipped with a one-ton conventional warhead.

The Iranian military exercise, called The Great Prophet III, follows an Israeli maneuver in the Mediterranean last month, which appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential attack on Iran's nuclear sites.

Israel and its close ally the United States accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, while they have never presented any corroborative document to substantiate their allegations. Iran vehemently denies the charges, insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.

Iran has also insisted that it would continue enriching uranium because it needs to provide fuel to a 300-megawatt light-water reactor it is building in the southwestern town of Darkhoveyn as well as its first nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr.

Tel Aviv and Washington have recently intensified their threats to launch military action against Iran to make Tehran drop what they allege to be a non-peaceful nuclear program, while a recent report by 16 US intelligence bodies endorsed the civilian nature of Iran's nuclear plans and activities.

Following the US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) and similar reports by the IAEA head - one in November and the other one in February - which praised Iran's truthfulness about key aspects of its past nuclear activities and announced settlement of outstanding issues with Tehran, any effort to impose further sanctions or launch military attack on Iran seems to be completely irrational.

The February report by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, praised Iran's cooperation in clearing up all of the past questions over its nuclear program, vindicating Iran's nuclear program and leaving no justification for any new UN sanctions.

Following the said reports by the US and international bodies, many world states have called the UN Security Council pressure against Tehran unjustified, demanding that Iran's case must be normalized and returned from the UNSC to the IAEA.

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