Georgia crisis may ease pressure on Iran: reports

Tehran: The Russia-Georgia conflict may benefit Iran by making it more difficult for the West to agree with Moscow on new UN sanctions, Iranian newspapers said on Sunday.

Russia, a member of the UN Security Council, is a reluctant backer of US-led efforts to pressure Iran with sanctions.

The daily Iran News said the Georgia conflict may now make it more difficult for the United States and its Western allies to secure Russian backing for fresh sanctions.

The West accuses Tehran of seeking to build nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

The English-language newspaper said there were "unintended positive consequences for Iran" from the crisis in Georgia.

Another English-language newspaper, Kayhan International, also referred to Western experts who it said believed US criticism of Russia over Georgia had "jeopardised [the] US strategic objective of exerting pressure on Iran".