One unnamed U.S. official observes: "We’re not sure what mix of commercial and political motives are at play here, but clearly the Russians and the Iranians are getting on each other’s nerves — and that’s not all bad." Indeed. "Russia Gives Iran Ultimatum on Enrichment," by Elaine Sciolino for the New York Times:
PARIS, March 19 — Russia has informed Iran that it will withhold nuclear fuel for Iran’s nearly completed Bushehr power plant unless Iran suspends its uranium enrichment as demanded by the United Nations Security Council, European, American and Iranian officials say.
The ultimatum was delivered in Moscow last week by Igor S. Ivanov, the secretary of the Russian National Security Council, to Ali Hosseini Tash, Iran’s deputy chief nuclear negotiator, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because a confidential diplomatic exchange between two governments was involved.
For years, President Bush has been pressing President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to cut off help to Iran on the nuclear power plant that Russia is building at Bushehr, in southern Iran. But Mr. Putin has resisted. The project is Tehran’s first serious effort to produce nuclear energy and has been very profitable for Russia.
Recently, however, Moscow and Tehran have been engaged in a public argument about whether Iran has paid its bills, which may explain Russia’s apparent shift. But the ultimatum may also reflect an increasing displeasure and frustration on Moscow’s part with Iran over its refusal to stop enriching uranium at its vast facility at Natanz.
“We’re not sure what mix of commercial and political motives are at play here,” one senior Bush administration official said in Washington. “But clearly the Russians and the Iranians are getting on each other’s nerves — and that’s not all bad.”
A senior European official said: “We consider this a very important decision by the Russians. It shows that our disagreements with the Russians about the dangers of Iran’s nuclear program are tactical. Fundamentally, the Russians don’t want a nuclear Iran.”
At a time of growing tensions between Washington and Moscow, American officials are welcoming Russian support on the situation with Iran as a sign that there are still areas in which the two powers can cooperate.
Russia has been deeply reluctant to ratchet up sanctions against Iran in the Security Council, which is expected to vote on a new set of penalties against the country within the next week.
But American officials have been trying to create a commercial incentive for Russia to put pressure on Iran. One proposal the Bush administration has endorsed since late 2005 envisions having the Russians enrich Iran’s uranium in Russia. That creates the prospect of tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in business for Russia, and a way to ensure that Iran receives only uranium enriched for use in power reactors, instead of for use in weapons.
Iran has rejected those proposals, saying it has the right to enrich uranium on its own territory.
The Russian Atomic Energy Agency, or Rosatom, is eager to become a major player in the global nuclear energy market. As Security Council action against Iran has gained momentum and Iran’s isolation increases, involvement with the Bushehr project may detract from Rosatom’s reputation.
In a flurry of public comments in the past month, Russian officials acknowledged that Russia was delaying the delivery of fuel to the reactor in the Iranian port city of Bushehr. It blamed the decision on the failure of Iran to pay what it owes on the project, not on concerns about nuclear proliferation.
But last month, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov informed some European officials that Russia had made a political decision not to deliver the fuel, adding that Russia would state publicly that the sole reason was financial, European officials said.
And then last week, a senior Iranian official confirmed in an interview that Mr. Ivanov had threatened Iran with an ultimatum: The fuel would be delivered only after Iran’s enrichment of uranium at Natanz was frozen.
Members of the Security Council are moving toward a vote this week on a draft resolution imposing further sanctions on Iran for its defiance of demands that it suspend enrichment activities and return to negotiations over its nuclear program.
Good News
What this means is Putin has somehow been checked in his attack America by Islamocommunist proxy for now in using Iran.
Putin knows America had a meeting with the Middle East powers 2 weeks ago which sent Ahmadinejad running to the Saudis. Israeli IDF is pre positioning for a multiple front confrontation sometime this summer as their intel has warned.
This is what is behind Putin's change of heart as he knows Iran is going to be hit and Russia is not going to leave all that expensive nuclear fuel unpaid for by a crater hole of Iran.
Perhaps though Iran can get the French to give them nuclear fuel for bribes as that is what they did with Saddam. America found 1.77 tons of weapons grade uranium, refined by France, out of Niger, the same Niger Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame said nothing was there.
That is the breaking story people need to watch in this as it all connects back to Iraq, including what is going on in Iran right now.
Putin knows what is coming and has milked Iran for all he can and is going to cut them loose and hope his plan incinerates the Middle East oil supply.
One day I hope the Russians come to their senses and truly call us friends and quit aiding our mutual enemies.
From The Intelligence Summit
http://www.intelligencesummit.org/speakers/AlirezaJafarzadeh.php
I don't know if or when Israel will attack Iran's nuke facilities but I wouldn't want to bet my life over it and I don't think a Russian worker would either. There are rumors.
Recently we had an Iranian defector.
When that happened I knew one of two things would happen. 1) Bush would come out shooting from the hip with incriminating information on people and countries that have helped Iran. The three countries that would be hurt the most would be Russia, France and Syria. 2) Or, We will not hear anything that the information produced but we will suddenly start seeing countries that opposed America doing an unexplainable 'about face'. This would be called Diplomacy or Blackmail. But I believe this action from Russia is the product of possible information from a defector handed to Americans and then played to Russia for a performance.
I believe we will see several more countries doing this. And then when the dust settles maybe Bush will share some personal names of business men and senators here in the U.S. that have been receiving and have on them 'Persian Gold'.
Russia is playing with fire ... as in thermonuclear fire ... and the game can't go on indefinitely.
'imanutajoba' must be fuming,how the small man has been made to look even smaller.
I guess the palestinians and hezbola will have to tighten thier purse strings as not much more money will be comming thier way so the superpower of Iran can pay off Russia.
Hey 'imanutajoba' drop a note down the well and tell the twelfth imam "we're not ready yet,don't come up here".
HaHa i', loving it ,too bad it won't last long.
And all that jazz.
I would not want to suppose this has anything to do with our Troop "surge".
One more world leader for Ahmad to ignore and defy....next.
Posted by: flowerknife_us
"I would not want to suppose this has anything to do with our Troop "surge"."
No. It has to do with the Russians who have at last woke up to the fact that a nuclear armed Iran on their border is not that wise. It was fun when it caused the Americans to do a dance but now reality is setting in and the Iranians and Russians historically never have gotten along.
I don't think the Russians were ever serious and I think Putin was just wanting to play power games with us and make us look stupid. The problem is it ended up making them look stupid.
What can I say both the US and Russia are still playing "cold war games". A good example is we have given asylum to some Chechens who Russia claims are terrorist and we refuse to give them back. The Russians say oh yea we will give weapons to the Syrians and Iranians. See how the game is played. Stupid I know but that is a reality.
"..clearly the Russians and the Iranians are getting on each other’s nerves — and that’s not all bad."
-- from the article above, quoting an official of the American government
What an idea. Where else might such an attitude be called for, where two or more foes go beyond merely "getting on each other's nerves, leading to a result to be desired by intelligent Infidels rather than to be deplored?
Gaza?
Iraq?
The Camp of Islam?
Russia to Iran: suspend enrichment, or no fuel for Bushehr power plant
This is not a good omen because it means that the Psychotic and Co. are much further down the road to becoming a nuclear madhouse than previously imagined. Putin has gambled in using Iran to gain concessions from the US re the Ukraine (without which Russia cannot be a first rate power) and in trying to put back together some the rest of the pieces of the lost Russian Empire, as well as getting concessions re Russian oil. Putin may have thought he had more time to use Iran. However, the game may be up. (There is no way a nuclear armed Iran is in Russia's interest.)
If this is an accurate assessment of the Russian situation re Iran, it is even more reason to make sure that Putin does not consider the US to be opposed to a resurgence of Russian power. Russia is a natural ally of the US in this matter, and though Putin is no democrat, he's preferable to the Psychotic and Co. They are crazy. Putin is a cold blooded gangster but he's not crazy. He's a Russian nationalist with a reasonable agenda.
The Russians may be spooked by how close the Psychotic and Co. are to achieving their nuclear dreams. This may be a good time to make even more concessions with Putin so that he has no hesitation about throwing the Psychotic and Co. under the bus. We should not drive Mr. Putin-Stalin into the camp of the new Hitler. He's not the enemy.
"Fundamentally, the Russians don’t want a nuclear Iran.” -- 'Senior European Official'.
No, but that's what they're going to get if they're not careful. It's a dangerous game they've been playing. Hopefully this signals the end of that game.
Russians may be slow on thought, but they are serious on deceit. All their arms deals are made with the idea of not being shot with their own merchandise. It is the usual practice to leave a critical component out and thus decrease the efficiency of a system as much as possible. Anyway I don't know and don't care why Putin is doing this as long as money is withdrawn from jihad and muzlem get no weapon at the end. It is a risky endeavor, but with very positive result if successful.
In your face, mahmoud!
Putin is a great politician and he is the hope of Europe, a nationalist, creating a new prospetity in Russia, nothing compared with the clown Yeltsin, and maing a good foreign politics, sadly UK and US don´t help him in the chechen war and serbian war. Sad!
While Putin may have his uses, and it would be foolish to ever underestimate him or Russia, Russia is hardly the "hope of Europe." The newly liberated Central/Eastern Europeans are the hope of Europe because their societies have not been overwhelmed with PC thinking.
At best Putin/Russia is neutral to the West, and at worst, a rival for the U.S. They are going to take advantage of future opportunities to annoy the West and to take their digs at the West, while the West is focused on Jihad.
Hopefully, they won't miscalculate. Best case scenario for us would be a Russian-Iran confrontation, except for the fact that Russia would take over the Iranian oil fields for good.
I would like to think that Putin has had a change of heart, but it could just be realpolitik all over again.
In the future Russia can go either way - be a great natural ally or great natural terror. It all comes down to demographics and if the Russia faces the issues of demographics and Islam head-on.
Many Russians don't like what is happening to their country, and feel that the rich and powerful in business and government are selling the people down the river for personal gain. The question I have been asking myself, does Putin have the willingness to protect the Russian people from the encroachment of Islam? I don't think he has, but maybe I am wrong.
A scary thought, one of the most popular websites in Russia is www.islam.ru, where you can say the Shahadah, and with a click of "ok" become a Muslim. In the media, Islam is very sugar coated. The only that can save the Russians is their inherent xenophobia.
Here is the Russian page where you put in your name and accept Islam:
http://www.islam.ru/addis/
So simple a caveman can do it!
Literally, I mean, Mohammad was in a cave, wasn't he?
Then you go to a page where you put your name, your new islamic name, your nationality and home city, and e-mail address.
And then get ready to get hectored...
I can't believe that those dumb assed iranians believed the lying assed russians , sounds like misery loves misery company, two peas in a pod, hopefully they will start shooting at each other, makes my day!!!!!!!
"One day I hope the Russians come to their senses and truly call us friends and quit aiding our mutual enemies."
from a post above.
Why should they? Friendship is a two-way street and the US still treats Russia as if the Soviet Union were still in existence. Russia has suffered more Islamic terror than any other nation and the US has consistently supported the Muslim Chechen terrorists, condemning Russia every time she fights back.
In Kosovo, the US and NATO have bombed Russia's ally Serbia and has openly assisted the Islamic genocide against Christian Slavs. The US has also supported every single Soros funded "colour revolution" against Slavic Christian culture and threatened Russia directly by pushing NATO and the EU onto Russia's former territory. No, it is not Russia that has acted in bad faith but the US and NATO.
I, for one am happy to pray the prayer of Saint John Maximovich: "Arise O Russia! Shake away the sleep of despondency, O sons of Russia! Behold the glory of her suffering and be purified; wash yourselves from your sins! Be strengthened in the Orthodox Faith, so as to be worthy to dwell in the dwelling of the Lord and to settle on His holy mountain! Leap up, leap up, arise, O Russia, you who from the Lord's hands have drunk the cup of His wrath! When your suffering shall have ended, your righteousness shall go with you and the glory of the Lord shall accompany you. The peoples shall come to your light, and kings to the shining which shall rise upon you. Then Lift up your eyes and see: behold your children come to you from the West and the North and the Sea and the East, blessing you in Christ forever. Amen”
Provoslavni
I think we can both agree that neither "side" has handled themselves very well. I agree that the U.S. (I am an American so I can say this) has acted like a fool in Serbia, dealing with Muslim Chechens, and always getting in spats over some oil tycoon Moscow locked up that made side deals with exxon. We have made an utter fool of ourselves in Iraq up to this point. However Russia has to also realize that helping Iran is no answer either. We are both killing ourselves with self inflicted wounds in an attempt to impress each other.
I really do think think the average American and average Russian have no problems with each other however can you say the same for the elites in power?
I always felt that one or even both partys knew deep in their mind (sane or not) that the project would never be finished. I think the Iranians came to the conclusion first.
Or, the Money they have been spending on Hesbolah, Syria, and good ol Hugo dried up the Gravey Train.
No, I take that all back. The money is going for Tomato production.