After wavering at first, Russian now maintains that the new round of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran do not forestall a sale by Moscow to Tehran of S-300 surface-to-air missiles, which are defensive in character.
It is reassuring that the US State Department in the end agreed with Russia on this matter. If the US had been gung-ho to deprive Iran of a defensive weapon, it would have indicated that Washington had serious plans for an attack.
Russia Today reports on Iran’s dismissive reaction to the sanctions, which were weak and watered down, and did not include any oil or gasoline boycotts:
It is truly sad to say that may be the tea party activist do have a point about Obama administration. As in BP oil spill case, the presidents reaction to shooting of unarmed humanitarians by Israel, and now the sanctions (that Turkey and Brazil voted against it)… I have to say at this point I am disappointed in his leadership. This was not the “change we can believe in”!
The sanction can only do one thing in Iran, it will push the domestic political policies in Iran to the right and essentially disarm Green movement from legitimate opposition as it would be seen as allied with foreign governments. Following the sanction announcment the Green movement leadership cancelled the planned demostration on the anniversay of the last year election. Miss Clinton called this ‘regrettable’.
link to google.com
Either US administration are hypocrites and truly wants to keep Ahmadinejad in power, or it is utter incompetence of her and Obama foreign policy for pursuing such idiotic policies.
Prof Cole /all check this out
This is intense. folks should see this one
Video shows FBI visit to the home of a Palestine solidarity activist
link to mondoweiss.net
I’m not so sure you are reading the US “acceptance” of Russia’s right to deliver the S-300 correctly. Russia has not delivered them, and as long as Russia doesn’t deliver them its easy enough to say one thing de jure while knowing it won’t change de facto.
This hooh-haah serves all parties–Iran, Israel and the US–as a way of creating a threat to keep people variously distracted, but more basically to help keep the current regimes of these countries in power.
The problem is how the current scenario has been evolving as a matter of underlying dispositions: how can any responsible government EVER trust the Other Guy if they are not emasculated or unless you have your foot on their throat. It isn’t as though the powers that be in Israel (or the world, take your pick), have not earned a real and deserved bunker complex. That Iran may well have deliberate designs on a nuke, or immediate break-out capability, is their only rational course when it would present their only real deterrent to the demonstrated malevolence of the US and Israel, when Iran has such a critical and coveted position in terms of resources and geopolitical positioning.
Aside from all that, what is unfolding can easily be seen as a relentlessly self-fulfilling prophecy, supported and perpetuated by the reality that “managing” such an ongoing conflict, perhaps subliminally, is in the self-interest of regimes across the ME, as well as the US. At this point, the issue appears to have developed a life and a momentum all its own.
Someone over at Antiwar had a good point, that in the end Russia is going to sell out the Iranians, seems about right since Russia has been claiming to be just about ready to send the S-300 or start up Bushere, and still they haven’t. What are they waiting for?
It seems the Russians changed their mind about the S-300 missiles, after Putin met Sarkozy, and are “freezing” the sales for now. What did Sarkozy offer Putin, that sold out the missiles deal?
link to news.xinhuanet.com
link to haaretz.com
It appears that Washington (Israel) does have “a serious plan for an attack”. And the chances are there is going to be no serious efforts to stop this madness with in the US or so called old Europe.
I hope this means the US and/or Israel won’t attack Iran, but it seems the ball has been rolling toward attacking Iran for a few years.
The Russians have been “delivering” S-300’s for years; it seems to be a game they play.
My understanding is that Russia will not deliever them and Iran is talking penelties.
“In November 2009 and January 2010, Germany inspected shipments of equipment originating in Russia and bound for an Iranian nuclear-power plant. German customs agents seized the cargo—computer and nuclear-monitoring equipment, prosecutors say—on the grounds that EU law prohibits any Iran-bound nuclear-related equipment from being shipped across its territory.”
link to online.wsj.com
And at the same time asking for nuclear fuel swap deal? Much like other pie in the sky deals, even united State has more credibility then Russia, UK and the rest of Europe put together.
Russia has been playing games with Iran for years. They keep stringing Iran along about the s-300 and the Bushehr reactor, which is always just months away from coming online – no doubt there are always ‘technical problems’ … and it’s become more and more obvious that Russia has never meant to follow through on any of its agreements with Iran, including the Caspian Sea security umbrella much bruited several years ago.
But here’s the real kicker, which I suspect Iran is just now waking up to: by continually failing to bring the Bushehr reactor online, Bushehr being the reactor that – as I understand it – Iranian enriched uranium is intended for, at least initially, Russia has apparantly willfully left Iran sitting on a stockpile of uranium . It is this very stockpile that is consistently cited as the main public reason to suspect Iran’s nuclear intentions. But Russia and the US both have played a huge role in obstructing Iran’s attempts to develope actual nuclear energy plants. So the whole case against Iran effectively rests on a stockpile that has essentially been caused by US-Russian obstructionism.
In other words, it’s a blatantly circular case.
What are Russia’s motivations? This isn’t easy to figure, but it appears that when Putin spoke of a multi-polar world, what he really meant 5 bigshots on the Security Council (plus Germany and Israel) telling everyone else the time of day, mostly following the US’ lead (assuming appropriate bribes, such as a nice new pipeline from Russia to Europe…)…
I have been saying over and over again during the past year in my 4 trips to Iran, that the Mullah’s Murderous Regime is on thin ice. This post just proved what I have been constantly saying about the Rank and File of IRGC and Bassij’s discontent with this Cruel and Inhumane Regime.
There are a GREAT NUMBER of veterans of the Iran – Iraq war who are ashamed of serving this Garbage Regime. The news piece reports that 1/3 of the IRGC and Bassij are disgusted with, and are against this regime, and I would say the number to be much, much higher. This information was given to me by the men who are still in the services of this regime, and constantly are afraid for the lives of themselves and their families just like the men on this report. These are the same people who served on the front lines in Iran – Iraq war, and now are totally disillusioned with the fast sinking regime.
link to iranian.com
It’s not only about the 4th round of UN sanctions, Russians showing cold feet on
S-300’s, again, Chinese rejecting Islamic Republic’s (IR) membership request in Shanghay Council, but rather amlgamation of all these developments which could lead to the observation that IR is probably at its highest pointof international isolation to date.
International isolation plus, the streets of Tehran, and pretty much practically the entire country, occupied by security forces, yet unable to stop people’s protests, especially in universities and ‘escapable’ areas of the cities. This is a state in deep, profound crisis.
According to IR’s own statetstics 10,000,000, that’s ten million people live at “absolute poverty line” ( their words, and a bit curious why they’re publishing all of this now), another 30,000,00 live under just normal poverty line. Official minnimum wage is 3 times below the poverty line. Ahmadinejad’s next, current economic project is to cancel all subsidies, and give the aid in cash! this in an economy with two digits inflation, not to mention that conversion to Eruo is not going as smothly as planned.
Green movement might have experiend its exhaustion, and reaching its limitaions, may be not.
Street action has always had it limitation, hence not the best meduim to judge a movement, still Greens might be temporarily stuck, perhaps not.
Thier opponents, Khamene, Ahamadinejad, Sepah,… don’t exactly inspire confidence, to say the least.
FWIW. Just read in military trade journal how new 30,000 lb bunker-busting bombs are to be deployed to the US B-2 (the delta wing stealth) bomber fleet toward the end of this year. In an interview, their wing commander spoke about then being prepared for “when” they are called to go after deeply buried targets on the other side of the world.