DUBAI, June 20 (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief
said a military strike on Iran would turn the Middle East into a
fireball and prompt Tehran to launch a crash course to build
nuclear weapons.
 

Russia also warned against military threats on Friday, after
The New York Times quoted U.S. officials as saying Israel had
carried out a large military exercise, apparently a rehearsal
for a potential bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities.
 

"A military strike, in my opinion, would be worse than
anything," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director
general Mohamad ElBaradei told Al Arabiya television in an
interview aired on Friday.
 

"It would turn the region into a fireball."
 

He said any attack would only make the Islamic Republic more
determined in its confrontation with the West over its nuclear
programme.
 

"If you do a military strike, it will mean that Iran, if it
is not already making nuclear weapons, will launch a crash
course to build nuclear weapons with the blessing of all
Iranians, even those in the West."
 

"If a military strike is carried out against Iran at this
time ... it would make me unable to continue my work," he added.
 

Russia's U.N. envoy said threatening Iran with military
action could undermine newfound momentum in the drive by six
world powers to resolve the standoff with Tehran.
 

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana went to
Tehran last week for talks on the matter.
 

Diplomats say that on behalf of major powers, he offered
Iran preliminary talks on its nuclear work and a freeze on moves
to harsher sanctions if it limited its uranium enrichment to
current levels for six weeks.
 

The United States accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear
bombs. It has not ruled out an attack on the Islamic Republic,
but says it is focusing on diplomatic pressure.
 

Iran says its nuclear programme is peaceful but has refused
to suspend uranium enrichment despite three rounds of U.N.
sanctions imposed since 2006. It has also turned down offers of
economic benefits to suspend its uranium enrichment, which it
says is to produce fuel for electricity generation.
 

A U.S. official said this stance could lead to a new round
of sanctions against Iran.
 

ElBaradei said sanctions alone would not be effective in
persuading Iran to halt nuclear enrichment, saying that more
international dialogue was required.