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Iran: US Attack Would Result in 'Quagmire'

With meeting ahead on new sanctions, Russia encourages diplomacy

By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff

Posted Oct 31, 2007 4:45 PM CDT

(Newser) – A US attack would lead to a "quagmire deeper than Iraq," an Iranian official warned today, reacting to intensifying rhetoric from the Bush administration. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany will meet Friday to discuss tougher sanctions against Iran. Meanwhile, Russia insists that dialogue is the best way to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear activities.

Nicholas Burns, a senior State Department official, said words will need to be backed up with action. "If we want diplomacy to succeed, we're going to have to see more tough-minded diplomacy," he said. This means sanctions, which some EU members are wary of pursuing. The US continues to refuse to rule out military action against Iran if sanctions fail.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns gestures as he delivers a speech at the American University of Paris, in Paris, Wednesday Oct. 31, 2007. Nicholas Burns said military action against Iran was not inevitable, and not desirable, and suggested that tougher penalties would be a way to avoid it....
U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns gestures as he delivers a speech at the American University of Paris, in Paris, Wednesday Oct. 31, 2007. Nicholas Burns said military action against Iran was...   (Associated Press)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, unseen, during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007.  (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, unseen, during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)   (Associated Press)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, talks with his Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, prior to their meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, talks with his Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, prior to their meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007....   (Associated Press)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, and the Head of Revolutionary Guards, commander Mohammad Ali Jafari, right, wave as they attend a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday shrugged off new U.S. sanctions targeting Iran, saying Tehran would not succumb to pressures by...
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, and the Head of Revolutionary Guards, commander Mohammad Ali Jafari, right, wave as they attend a ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007. President...   (Associated Press)
Head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, attends a news conference in Tehran, Iran, Sept. 3, 2007. AP Photo/ISNA, Mehdi Ghasemi, File)
Head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, attends a news conference in Tehran, Iran, Sept. 3, 2007. AP Photo/ISNA, Mehdi Ghasemi, File)   (Associated Press)
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