MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/. If the United States decides to launch a military operation against Iran, it will be a big mistake, fraught with negative consequences for the entire region, Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said on Wednesday.
"If the White House decides to go the aggressive route with Tehran, it will be a grave mistake by Washington," the lawmaker wrote on his Telegram channel. "In its oil fever, the United States is ready to implode not only raw material markets (actually all leaders of the Persian Gulf states warned [US leader Donald] Trump about such risks), but also to destabilize the entire region."
Slutsky noted that the protests in Iran "are a classic ‘color revolution’: they were caused by external forces in order to topple the regime."
"Western politicians have actually admitted as much, calling on the protesters to continue street clashes and overthrow the legitimately elected government," he pointed out.
Slutsky also stressed that Russian lawmakers strongly oppose attempts of external interference in the affairs of sovereign Iran and remain in touch with Iranian parliamentarians.
Unrest in Iran began on December 29 after street protests triggered by a sharp fall in the Iranian rial exchange rate, spreading across most major cities. Authorities reported the deaths of 40 law enforcement officers.
According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, armed terrorists appeared among the demonstrators on January 8. The Iranian authorities blamed Israel and the United States for organizing the unrest. US President Donald Trump previously stated that he was seriously considering the use of force against Tehran.