Iran sanctions likely to backfire Kremlin aide

MOSCOW, Sep 5 (Reuters) Imposing sanctions now on Iran over its nuclear programme could ''drive the country away from the civilised world for many decades'', a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said today.

Russia and China are opposed to sanctions against Tehran and could use their veto in the United Nations Security Council to block moves to punish Iran for failing to suspend its uranium enrichment programme.

Kremlin aide Igor Shuvalov gave no new information on how Russia would vote in the Council, but he issued an unusually detailed defence of Moscow's opposition to sanctions -- a stance that has put it at odds with the United States.

''We are for using a stick (against Iran) but we do not want to later get hit on the head by that same stick, or that it should hit any of our partners on the head,'' he told a news briefing.

Shuvalov said Russia was in a special position because it was geographically close to Iran and had a large Muslim population, meaning it would suffer more than others if international action further radicalised Iranian society.

''In Iran the majority of the population are young people and any careless actions could drive that country away from the civilised world for many decades,'' he said.

''At the moment we have understood that introducing sanctions now or resorting to a military operation could lead to the ...

consolidation of the population around the current leadership.'' ''If at the moment the talk is of developing a peaceful (nuclear) programme, then, in the event of a military operation, you could hear very different statements.

''When 60 million people support that sort of thing, it is quite dangerous.'' Iran has failed to meet a U.N. deadline to halt its enrichment work. Washington believes that work is a cover for a bomb-making programme. Tehran says it is enriching uranium only to generate electricity.

Mr Shuvalov did not rule out Russia at some point backing sanctions. But he said the international community must ''show particular caution and responsibility''.

Russia has a lucrative contract with Tehran to build a nuclear power station at Bushehr, on the Gulf. Moscow sells arms to Iran and Russian oil companies have interests in the country.

Reuters SHB GC2332