Russians Playing Dangerous Game in Middle East

Henry Srebrnik, [Charlottetown, PEI] Guardian
 

I guess President Vladimir Putin of Russia thinks Iran has rejoined the family of nations. How else can we explain his sale of sophisticated weapons to Tehran?

Russia announced on April 13 the lifting of its ban on the sale to Iran of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles. Iran had ordered them in 2007, but Russia halted the sale under international pressure. 

The 2007 deal on the delivery of five S-300 PMU-1 systems was put on hold by then-President Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, following a UN Security Council embargo on arms deliveries to Tehran, imposed over fears that Iran was developing nuclear weapons.

Putin now defends his decision to sell the system. Moscow has stated that a preliminary agreement between the P5+1 world powers and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program reached earlier this April makes the ban no longer relevant.

“We froze the fulfillment of this contract unilaterally and now, after there’s been positive progress on the Iranian nuclear path, we don’t see any reason to retain the ban,” Putin stated on April 16. He claimed that the Iranians “are demonstrating great flexibility and clear desire to reach compromises on the Iranian nuclear program.”

The missiles are capable of simultaneously tracking and intercepting dozens of airborne targets at ranges of up to 150 kilometres. They may be delivered to Iran as early as this year.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, on April 14 informed Putin of his “grave concern” regarding the sale. Putin reportedly replied that the S-300 served defensive purposes only and didn’t constitute a threat to Israel’s security.

However, Amos Gilad, head of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s political security division, maintains that it is not a defensive weapon, but rather one “which encourages aggression and the violent methods of the Iranian government.”

Israel fears Iran could supply the missile defense systems to Syria or Hezbollah, diluting Israel’s air supremacy over Syria and Lebanon.

 Zvi Magen, a former Israeli ambassador to both Kyiv and Moscow, has said that Israel has benefited considerably from the ties with Russia in recent years. Some Israeli officials fear that this may now be changing as the Kremlin rebuilds its standing in the Middle East.

Israel has now announced it will not send a representative to Russia for the ceremonies marking 70 years since its victory over Germany, set to take place in Moscow’s Red Square next month. 

Are relations between Moscow and Tehran becoming warmer? Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to Tehran in January to discuss increasing defense cooperation and arms trade with the Islamic republic. 

Moscow has also negotiated an oil-for-goods exchange with Iran that would involve acquiring some 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil a day in exchange for Russian equipment and goods. 

Recent sanctions against Russia may have driven the two countries closer together and the the S-300 deal may be an effective way for Moscow to retaliate against the West.