MOSCOW, Jan 22: Russia’s military has learned that the United States and its allies are to start military action next month in Iraq, Interfax news agency said on Wednesday.

But Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said he knew nothing about such a decision.

Interfax’s specialist military news wire AVN, quoting a high-ranking source in the Russian general staff, said US-led operations would be launched from mid-February once an attacking force of 150,000 had been assembled in the Gulf.

“According to the information we have, the operation is planned for the second half of February. The decision to launch it has been taken but not yet been made public,” the source told the agency, which has generally authoritative contacts in the Russian military and political establishment.

The source added that the main aim of the war would be to secure control of Iraqi oilfields.

But Russian news agencies quoted Ivanov as saying: “On the basis of information at my disposal, no decision has been taken by the US administration on launching a military operation in Iraq”.

Ivanov restated Russia’s position that only the UN Security Council could legitimately authorise military action.

In Beirut, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Saltanov, who held talks with Iraqi officials last week, said Baghdad was endeavouring to remove any grounds for military action.

“They assured me in Baghdad that Iraq is doing all it can to cooperate fully and completely with the inspectors so they can complete their work according to Security Council resolutions, particularly 1441,” Saltanov told reporters in Arabic.

DUMA VOTE: The lower house of Russia’s parliament, the State Duma, approved with only a single dissenting vote a resolution urging President Vladimir Putin to take “all possible actions...to prevent United States military action against Iraq.