Islam Times - US envoy to Russia says Kyrgyz airbase will not be used against Iran

Islam Times - US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul has ruled out the possibility of the US using the American Manas military airbase in Kyrgyzstan in case of a conflict with Iran.

“Manas Transit Center contributes to help stabilize and secure Afghanistan and will only be used for that purpose,” McFaul wrote in his Twitter microblog.

The American envoy was reacting to remarks by Russia’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Alexander Lukashevich last Wednesday who said the US might use its Manas airbase, near the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, for an attack against the Islamic Republic.

Lukashevich also warned that the possibility of an attack against Iran and Tehran’s retaliation has raised concerns in Central Asian countries.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev said in a Monday meeting with a visiting US delegation headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Susan Elliot that "no foreign troops" should remain at the Manas airbase after 2014.

The United States and the Israeli regime have repeatedly threatened Iran with military action if the country does not halt its civilian nuclear program. The two, as well as their European allies, have repeatedly accused Iran of seeking military objectives in its nuclear program.

Iran has refuted such allegations, saying that its nuclear program is merely peaceful. Iranian officials have also vowed to deliver a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that any such measure could result in a war that would reach far beyond the Middle East.