Missile shield set to counter Iran, not Russia: Obama

US President Barack Obama has said that the proposed deployment of a missile shield in Europe was intended to counter Iran and Russia should not worry about it.

In an interview with Novaya Gazeta newspaper Monday, Obama said that Washington was seeking to create a missile shield in Europe to protect the US and Europe from Iranian ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.

Obama is arriving in Moscow Monday on a two-day official visit for top-level talks with the Russian leadership. The missile shied issue is likely to top the agenda of the discussion besides the nuclear arms reduction and other key international and bilateral issues.

Obama told the newspaper that the US was not creating and would not create a system of defence against a possible attack from Russia, adding that such a rationale was an inheritance of the cold war period.

Washington has agreed plans with Warsaw and Prague to deploy 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic by 2013. The United States says the defences are needed to deter possible strikes from "rogue states" such as Iran.

Russia has consistently opposed the missile shield as a threat to its national security and the balance of power in Europe.

Obama earlier indicated he could put on hold his predecessor George W. Bush's plans concerning the third site for Washington's global missile defence system, which he said needed more analysis.

Last updated on Jul 6^th, 2009 at 06:48 am IST--RIA Novosti