Tweet
Vladimir Putin to offer Iran's Hassan Rowhani missile systems, nuclear reactor
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-11/russian-president-putin-to-reportedly-offer-missiles-to-iran/4952450
Posted Wed 11 Sep 2013, 11:00pm AEST
Russian president Vladimir Putin will reportedly offer to supply
missile systems to Iran and build a second nuclear power reactor in
the country, a move likely to gladden Tehran and trouble the United
States.
Iran's new president Hassan Rowhani is set to meet Mr Putin on the
sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation held in
Kyrgyzstan on Friday, in the newly elected centrist cleric's first
meeting with a major world leader.
The Kommersant business daily reported on Wednesday that Mr Putin will
offer to supply Iran with S-300 air defence missile systems as well as
build a second reactor at the Bushehr nuclear plant.
The S-300 offer would be a particularly contentious development given
it would essentially revive a contract for similar missile systems
that Russia cancelled in 2010 after heavy Israeli and US pressure.
Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Kommersant that Mr Putin and
Mr Rowhani were expected to discuss "working together in the nuclear
energy sphere" and "questions of military technical cooperation" at
the summit.
Mr Putin's meeting with the leader of Moscow's long-standing regional
ally comes shortly after he hosted Western powers for a G20 summit
focused on Syria in Saint Petersburg this month.
In 2007, Russia signed a contract to deliver five of the advanced
S-300 ground-to-air weapons systems - which can take out aircraft or
guided missiles - to Iran at a cost of $859 million.
However, in 2010, then-president Dmitry Medvedev cancelled the
contract after coming under strong US and Israeli pressure not to go
ahead with the sale of the weapons system, drawing vehement protests
from Tehran.
Russia to supply Iran if US strikes Syria
Russia could increase supplies of arms to Iran if the United States
decides on military intervention in Syria, the head of the lower
house's committee on international relations, Alexei Pushkov, told
parliament on Wednesday.
"If the 'party of war' prevails in the United States... then I
consider it absolutely justified to suggest considering more serious
measures by Russia, including broadening of supplies of defensive
weapons to Iran," Mr Pushkov was quoted as saying by Interfax.
Iran is Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's main regional ally and has
warned Western powers against intervention in the conflict.
Moscow has cooperated with Iran on nuclear power generation despite
international opposition to a program that Western powers and Israel
believe is being used as a smokescreen for building a nuclear bomb.
Iran, however, insists that its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
Russia had urged the West to soften sanctions against Iran after the
June election of Mr Rowhani, a centrist cleric, expressing hopes for a
major breakthrough in the nuclear standoff.
Mr Rowhani has pledged greater transparency in talks.
AFP
From: A. Papazian
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-11/russian-president-putin-to-reportedly-offer-missiles-to-iran/4952450
Posted Wed 11 Sep 2013, 11:00pm AEST
Russian president Vladimir Putin will reportedly offer to supply
missile systems to Iran and build a second nuclear power reactor in
the country, a move likely to gladden Tehran and trouble the United
States.
Iran's new president Hassan Rowhani is set to meet Mr Putin on the
sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation held in
Kyrgyzstan on Friday, in the newly elected centrist cleric's first
meeting with a major world leader.
The Kommersant business daily reported on Wednesday that Mr Putin will
offer to supply Iran with S-300 air defence missile systems as well as
build a second reactor at the Bushehr nuclear plant.
The S-300 offer would be a particularly contentious development given
it would essentially revive a contract for similar missile systems
that Russia cancelled in 2010 after heavy Israeli and US pressure.
Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Kommersant that Mr Putin and
Mr Rowhani were expected to discuss "working together in the nuclear
energy sphere" and "questions of military technical cooperation" at
the summit.
Mr Putin's meeting with the leader of Moscow's long-standing regional
ally comes shortly after he hosted Western powers for a G20 summit
focused on Syria in Saint Petersburg this month.
In 2007, Russia signed a contract to deliver five of the advanced
S-300 ground-to-air weapons systems - which can take out aircraft or
guided missiles - to Iran at a cost of $859 million.
However, in 2010, then-president Dmitry Medvedev cancelled the
contract after coming under strong US and Israeli pressure not to go
ahead with the sale of the weapons system, drawing vehement protests
from Tehran.
Russia to supply Iran if US strikes Syria
Russia could increase supplies of arms to Iran if the United States
decides on military intervention in Syria, the head of the lower
house's committee on international relations, Alexei Pushkov, told
parliament on Wednesday.
"If the 'party of war' prevails in the United States... then I
consider it absolutely justified to suggest considering more serious
measures by Russia, including broadening of supplies of defensive
weapons to Iran," Mr Pushkov was quoted as saying by Interfax.
Iran is Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's main regional ally and has
warned Western powers against intervention in the conflict.
Moscow has cooperated with Iran on nuclear power generation despite
international opposition to a program that Western powers and Israel
believe is being used as a smokescreen for building a nuclear bomb.
Iran, however, insists that its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
Russia had urged the West to soften sanctions against Iran after the
June election of Mr Rowhani, a centrist cleric, expressing hopes for a
major breakthrough in the nuclear standoff.
Mr Rowhani has pledged greater transparency in talks.
AFP
From: A. Papazian