US missile defense plans may signal strike on Iran, Russia warns

A unified missile defense system comprising the United States and six Arab states is a signal that a military strike on Iran could be on the horizon, says the Chairman of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee.

"The formation of the missile defense system is a new step to signal the possibility of a military strike on Iran, at least in a political context,"  Alexey Pushkov told a round table conference on Iran at the State Duma.

Pushkov was commenting on reports that the Pentagon has agreed to form a single missile defense system with six Arab states – Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar.

"A missile defense system is only needed in the event that Iran decides to retaliate, since there are no reasons to think that Iran would be the first to launch a strike all of a sudden," Pushkov said.

These latest developments come as the sextet of international mediators – the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany – are preparing for talks with Iran on April 13-14. The talks will focus on Iran’s nuclear research activities, which some countries, including the United States and Israel, believe are being pursued with the aim of building a nuclear weapon.           Read Here