TEHRAN - The Iranian ambassador to Moscow has said
that efforts to make it appear that the Islamic Republic is a threat to
Russia do not help reduce the real threat posed to the country by NATO.
Ambassador Mohammad Reza Sajjadi made the remarks during a recent
interview with RosBusinessConsulting, which is a Russian information
agency, in response to the remarks by Army General Nikolai Makarov, the
Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, about NATO’s
plan to establish a shield against ballistic missiles in Europe.
In an interview with the RT network on April 25, Makarov was asked if
there is a growing nuclear threat from Iran and North Korea, and
replied, “The threat is always there.”
The Russian official added, “We conducted a joint assessment with our
U.S. counterparts, which proved that this threat is a realistic one.”
“The very fact that we agreed to produce a joint anti-missile system
implies that we recognize that the threat is there,” Makarov stated.
Ambassador Sajjadi, according to the Persian service of the Mehr News
Agency, said, “I am so sorry that the real threat to Russia’s security
by NATO is being compared with such a fake threat.”
Makarov’s remarks were “a matter of surprise” to Iran, he stated,
adding, “Portraying Iran, which is a friend of Russia, as an enemy does
not help reduce NATO’s threat to it.”
