Russia: Israel's Stance on Iran could be 'Catastrophic'

Israel's hard-line approach to speculation that Iran is seeking to develop a nuclear weapon could have "catastrophic consequences", a senior Russian foreign ministry official warned Thursday.

"The inventions" concerning the possible development of nuclear arms by Iran "are increasing the tension and could encourage moves towards a military solution with catastrophic consequences," Mikhail Ulyanov told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday.

Speculation has risen in recent weeks, driven in part by comments made by officials in the Jewish state, about the possibility of an Israeli military strike on Iran.

Israel and much of the international community believe that Iran's nuclear program masks a covert weapons drive, a charge Tehran denies.

The "noise" about Iran's nuclear intentions "have political and propaganda objectives which are far from being inoffensive," said Ulyanov, head of the security and disarmament department in Russia's foreign affairs ministry.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said last month that any decision by Israel on whether to attack Iran in a bid to halt its nuclear program remained "very far away."

However, Israel's chief of military intelligence, General Aviv Kochavi, told a security conference last week that Iran had enough radioactive material to produce four nuclear bombs.

Widely believed to be the Middle East's only nuclear power, albeit undeclared, Israel has supported tough sanctions against Iran but also insists on retaining the military option to halt its nuclear activities.