Posted on 09/09/2008 2:05:40 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
The United States does not expect Iran to receive a Russian air defense system this year, a Pentagon official said on Tuesday of the shield that would make any strike on Tehran's nuclear sites more difficult
Eric Edelman, the Pentagon's undersecretary for policy, was responding to questions at a Senate hearing about reports that Iran would soon acquire an advanced Russian anti-aircraft missile system.
"To the best of my knowledge, I don't believe we think the missiles referred to ... are in fact slated for delivery by the end of this year," Edelman told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"But it is something that we are watching very closely," he said. "It is a very serious capability that would be a concern to us as well as others in the region."
(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...
In Russia, advanced means “works very rarely”.
Iran should ask Syria how well russian anti-air technology works.
“The latest information, according to Bergman's Mossad sources, is that some 3,000 centrifuges, in 18 cascades, are now enriching uranium, “under great technical difficulties,” at Natanz. Nearby, the Iranians are building a plant to hold another 30,000 to 50,000 centrifuges - and building it underground to ensure no repeat of Israel's successful raid on Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor at Osirak. Already, Natanz is protected by no fewer than 26 anti-aircraft missile batteries, and this and other of its nuclear facilities, he writes (despite others’ claims to the contrary), already have the advanced Russian-made S-300 missiles among their defenses.”
I'm going to wager with Mossad on this one.
“To the best of my knowledge”
Doesn’t mean much from a US intelligence manager given
their track record.
Could be disinformation too. It’s hard to tell.
But, he said, Washington would not give up its support for Georgia's territorial integrity in order to keep Moscow working on the Iranian nuclear challenge. ... "We are going to try to work with the Russians in areas where we have common interests," he said, but added, "I cannot imagine circumstances where we would bargain away the rights of sovereign countries for the privilege of working with the Russians in areas of common interest."
Diplomats usually talk in mush and BS, but this seems pretty straight forward. We'll work with you when it helps us, but if you try to make us choose you or Georgia, we'll choose Georgia and screw you.
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