Iran says 'dangerous creature' NATO would have started a war if not stopped by Russia

If Russian President Vladimir Putin had not “taken the initiative” in Ukraine, the NATO alliance would have launched a war with Russia over Crimea, said Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday. While speaking alongside Putin, who is visiting Iran, Khamenei declared that “as regards Ukraine, if you did not take the initiative, the other side would have initiated the war.”

Iranian Supreme Leader went on to label the West as “completely opposed to a strong and independent Russia” and NATO as “a dangerous entity that sees no boundaries in its expansionist policy”. He said that “had they [NATO, US] not been stopped in Ukraine, they would have launched the same war sometime later under the pretext of the Crimea issue.”

Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014, which was Ukraine’s part. Even in the present so-called “special” military operation launched by Moscow in Ukraine, Putin’s forces are appearing to target the pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. NATO has considered Crimea to be “illegally annexed” Ukrainian territory. It is to note that the US-led defence alliance has not threatened Russia with open war and it has called on Moscow to return the region to Ukraine. 

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin termed the loss of civilian lives in the war a “big tragedy” but went on to blame the West for causing Russia’s “reaction”. The Kremlin leader was quoted as saying, “Some Western countries had said we’re against Ukraine’s membership in NATO but we agreed to it under pressure from the US, which shows their lack of independence”.

Both Khamenei and Putin reportedly discussed bilateral ties and also a gradual phase-out of the US dollar from Russia-Iran trade. They also exchanged views on Syria, Israel, and South Caucasus.

Putin arrived in Iran on Tuesday

Russian President Putin arrived in Iran on Tuesday for his first international trip since February 24 when he announced the “special” military operation in Ukraine. The Kremlin leader met with his Iranian counterpart Raisi along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Putin also met with Iran’s Khamenei on Tuesday. 

During a bilateral meeting with Raisi, Putin said, “I am very pleased to be on the hospitable Iranian soil...We can boast about record figures in terms of trade growth…We are strengthening our cooperation on international security issues, making a significant contribution to the settlement of the Syrian conflict."

Image: AP