You're reading: Russian foreign minister warns against strike on Iran

YEREVAN, Armenia — Russia's foreign minister has strongly warned against a military attack on Iran, saying that a pre-emptive strike would violate international law.

Sergey Lavrov said Monday on a visit to Armenia that an attack on Iran would destabilize the region.

Israel and the U.S. have warned that all options remain open, including military action, to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Iran insists its uranium enrichment program is aimed at civilian power generation and research, but Israel and Western nations believe it is a cover for a nuclear weapons bid.

Russia, which built Iran’s first nuclear power plant, backed some of the previous U.N. sanctions against Tehran, but in recent months has firmly rejected imposing new sanctions and called for dialogue.