Iran warns US over Caucasus crisis

Mon, 25 Aug 2008

Iran's Foreign Minister has warned the White House against increasing the regional instability by fueling the crisis in the Caucasus.

The tension between Russia and the US has been mounting after Georgia's military offensive into South Ossetia in early August to reclaim the de-facto region prompted Russia to send its troops into the area. The conflict in South Ossetia, which claimed the lives of at least 2,000 people and displaced 40,000 others, ended after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a French-brokered ceasefire deal with Georgia last week.

In a Sunday press conference, Iran's top diplomat Manouchehr Mottaki said the crisis in South Ossetia could lead to the outbreak of a new cold war era. He, however, warned that "The extra-regional power would suffer the same fate they have (in Afghanistan and Iraq) should it seek to destabilize the Caucasus." The Iranian minister was referring to the crises in Afghanistan and Iraq following the US-led invasions of these countries. (Press TV)