WASHINGTON (JTA) – An Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities could result in global catastrophe, Russia’s president said.
In an interview Monday on "Good Morning America," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is attending President Obama’s Nuclear Security Summit this week, said, “Everyone is so close over there that nobody would be unaffected. And if conflict of that kind happens, and a strike is performed, then you can expect anything, including use of nuclear weapons," Medvedev said. "And nuclear strikes in the Middle East, this means a global catastrophe.”
Medvedev, whose country is one of the five veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council, said that he supports “smart” sanctions on Iran that would not create a humanitarian crisis.
Also on Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told CBS, "I would not want the world to wake up to a conflict between Israel and Iran quite simply because the international community has been incapable of acting.”
He said that an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear production facilities would be "a disaster."
"I don’t even want to think about that possibility," he said. "And the best way to avoid this disaster scenario is to take measures in order to get Israel to understand that we are determined to ensure its security. And Israel, furthermore, must equally make the necessary effort in order to bring about a fair and lasting peace with their Palestinian neighbors.”
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