'Don't Cripple Iran'

Feb. 25, 2010

A senior Russian diplomat warned the West on Wednesday against trying to paralyze Iran by targeting the Islamic Republic's energy and banking sectors with crippling sanctions.

Oleg Rozhkov, deputy director of the Foreign Ministry's security affairs and disarmament department, said Moscow would only consider sanctions aimed at strengthening the nuclear nonproliferation regime.

"Call them what you want — crippling or paralyzing — we are not going to work on sanctions or measures that could lead to the political or economic or financial isolation of this country," Rozhkov told reporters.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Russia would not deliver S-300 missile systems that it has agreed to sell Iran if such a sale would destabilize the region.

(Reuters)

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