Russia defends its short-sighted and ultimately suicidal dealings with the chief supporters of the Chechen jihadists. From MosNews, :
The Russian defense minister on Wednesday defended Moscow’s deal to supply air defense missiles to Iran, saying they were purely defensive weapons with a limited range, the Associated Press news agency reports.“I wish to underline that these systems cannot be used in offensive operations,” Sergei Ivanov told Russia Today television in an interview broadcast early Wednesday. “Secondly, they have a limited use as they are capable of protecting a small part of the Iranian territory.”
Moscow has refused to bow to Western pressure and cancel its US 700 million contract to sell 29 Tor-M1 air defense missile systems to Iran, which was signed last December.
The cynical Russian leadership is taking that country down the crapper hole.
The few people who could lead the country to some kind of future are probably either in prison or exiled.
Say bye bye comrades.
The ghost of Griboyedov must not be pleased. Those who wish to propitiate that spirit might take a look at a depiction of Griboyedov, sitting at his desk, long before that Persian mob beat him to death in Tehran for being an Infidel, trying to protect Infidel women. Simply google "Islam for Infidels (in Russian)."
Ivanov speaks with forked tongue. Hopefully he won't be overly surprised when these weapons start showing up in Chechen hands.
Interesting. The country that once told us we capitalists would sell them the rope they would hang us with is now selling Iran the rope to hang itself.
A system description with pictures:
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/row/sa-15.htm
i agree that this does appear to be stupid and short-sighted, as are many Western arms deals with Muslim countries.
what is worse, the Russians may not be doing it only for the money, but also in the expectation that the Iranians will be able to give the Americans a bloody nose if they ever try to attack Iran's nuclear installations, which they may hope would push the Americans into isolationism. even more stupid and short-sighted.
however, i cannot help wondering if the Iranians have not decided to betray a few Chechens as part of the bargain...the Iranians have been playing chess for a few centuries longer than the Russians.
If (or more appropriately WHEN) the Mullah-monsters of Iran go apeshit with their new state-of-the-art nuclear missiles technologies and attack non-Islamic states with them Moscow WILL be partly responsible for this. And held accountable.
Putin cannot wriggle out of this and neither can anyone else in his government. The Chinese Communist party can also take a bow for its part in this nightmare sceario. We can ill-afford to let either government off the hook. This tragedy must not be repeated (assuming that the human race survives which is something that cannot be guaranteed).
Vladimir Putin had better start praying as the Mullahs are almost certainly set to strike with their weapons of mass destruction, and when they do all hell is certain to break loose (unless Uncle Sam intervenes and detonates a much-overdue Electro-Magnetic Pulse weapon over Iran's airspace, which should cripple its technological infrastructure to launch its weapns of mass destruction).
I fail to see the panic about Iranian nukes
The islamic nuke is out of the bag, courtesy
Pakistan
China gave them nukes in 1986 and the west failed to enforce the Pressler amendment
Pakistan has sold nuke designs to many islamic countries
The iranian nuke is a copy of the Pakistani-Chinese design
It is also more likely that Iran will use its nukes on its muslim neighbors due to shia-sunni strife