Russia tells Netanyahu it will hold off on Iran arms deal

HaAretz ^ | 2/15/10 | Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent in Moscow

[Nachum]

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday assured Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it would hold off on its contract to sell an advanced air defense system to Iran.

Israel has repeatedly asked Russia to scrap its contract over the sale of the S-300 system to Iran. Netanyahu said he had received assurances from the Russian leader during their talks on Monday that Moscow understood the seriousness of the issues involved for regional stability.

[Army Air Corps]

Pingaroo.

[rjp2005]

Great. They’ll just sell to some other proxy that Iran will buy from.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Digger]

More stall tactics.

[JasonC]

I think it is pretty clear. Israel probably told them if they don't sell it then the Israel's won't have to blow it up. They can sell it later, after the horse has left the barn, so to speak - lol.

Of course, Israel can destroy Iran's nuclear program any time it wants, Russian SAMs or not. Stopping planes is one thing, stopping ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads is something else. Israel has "splendid first strike" on Iran. That they don't want a use it, is their own problem.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Nachum.

Okay, so, the Obama administration gets points for this one. Well done! The Russian sale of these systems to Iran would have put the entire non-Shiite Arab world irretrievably into alliance with the US, and led to a massive rearming and retraining. Also, I wouldn't have staked two cents on the successful delivery of the equipment to Iran (Israel or the US would have blown it to bits before it was out of the shrinkwrap), the continued existence of Vlad Putin and his bootlick, etc.

Of course, I'm not too serious about giving them credit. This probably is just the Russians playing at brinkmanship, as they've got a long history of doing (their backing down over the Berlin blockade, their authoring of the Korean War and leaving the fighting to Mao's "volunteers", their backing down in the Cuban Missile Crisis, their abject defeat in the October 1973 war...).

• Netanyahu reaffirms Israel claim to parts of West Bank

[JasonC]

No chance at all vs. a Jericho. Israel has 50-100 nuclear missiles, some of them MIRV capable, and air and sub launched cruise missiles as well.

[dervish]

There is more to the Israel Russian alliance than meets the eye.

Since Obama took office and Avigdor Lieberman became Foreign Minister, Israel and Russia have formed a new alliance.

http://intelligencenews.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/03-120/

[Jet Jaguar]

BTTT

[JasonC]

The political fallout would be stunned silence and a new awareness that there are grown ups in the world, and that playing around with hellfire has consequences.

The physical fallout wouldn't matter a damn. There were 5000 atmospheric nuclear tests in the cold war. Did they destroy the planet? No.

[RetSignman]

Right after the Iranians were in the streets shouting “Down with Russia” and “Down with China” when announcing they were a Nuclear State...things changed fast.

[JasonC]

Spare us your literalist idiocies, thanks. Grown ups are discussing matters of life and death.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

[Karliner]

Russians pretty much gave the finger to Bibi..all those dead and disapeared Jews from the Tsars, to Lenin, to Stalin to Krusteaz, ot the restews and now Russia is kissing pals with Putin's proxy-Medivac-dev:

And back by unpopular demand

Figured a few photos might liven up the ever depressing anti-Jew BS that is pretty much universe wide except where GiD stands, lives and reighsn which is in my heart and yours. Stand strong, be humble and keep your powder dry. Amen