Iran war in summer: Russian army boss

Russia’s highest ranking military officer says a military strike against Iran over the country’s nuclear program could begin as early as summer.

The head of the Russian General Staff, General Nikolai Makarov, said Moscow is closely watching the situation and is not ruling out the possibility of a coordinated attack on Iran, Russia Today reported.

"Iran is a sore spot," the general told reporters on Tuesday. "I think a decision will be made by the summer."

The prediction comes as anti-Iran war rhetoric has been intensified during the past months after the US and its Western allies failed to stop Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy program by imposing sanctions.

The United States has repeatedly said no options have been taken off the table regarding Iran.

On Tuesday (14 February), the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln passed through the Strait of Hormuz shadowed by Iranian patrol boats.

Meanwhile, Commander of the US Navy base in Bahrain Vice Admiral Mark Fox warned on Sunday that US forces are prepared for a strike against Iran.

"We have built a wide range of options to give the president and we are ready... We are ready today," he said.

Tehran said it would shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic and vital shipping route, after the US and its European allies imposed new unilateral sanctions against the country’s oil and financial sectors.

The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, has said Iran has chosen intelligent control of the Strait of Hormuz as its main strategy to counter foreign threats and sanctions.

The US and Israel have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike, saying Iran's nuclear program may include a covert military aspect, a claim strongly rejected by Tehran.

------Agencies