Posted on 07/12/2010 3:00:34 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
MOSCOW (AFP) – Iran is close to having the potential to build a nuclear weapon, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday in the clearest indication yet of Russian alarm over Tehran's atomic drive.
"Iran is nearing the possession of the potential which in principle could be used for the creation of a nuclear weapon," Medvedev said at a meeting with Russian diplomats quoted by Russian news agencies.
Russia, traditionally a diplomatic and economic ally of the Islamic republic, in the past took a milder line against Tehran than Western powers but recently noticeably hardened its position.
Iran has over the past months been announcing steady advances in its nuclear programme, in defiance of international calls for Tehran to freeze its sensitive uranium enrichment operations.
Iranian atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi on Sunday said Tehran has produced around 20 kilogrammes of 20 percent enriched uranium.
Medvedev said that Iran "is far from behaving in the best way".
Russian last month joined other world powers in approving new sanctions against Tehran. Medvedev repeated his belief that sanctions often do not produce results, but he added that in Iran's case they could stimulate talks.
"Now what we need is patience and as quickly as possible to renew dialogue with Tehran," Medvedev said.
"This is what we see as the main aim of the UN Security Council resolution. And if diplomacy loses this chance then this will be a collective failure of all the international community," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks in the Russian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Moscow. Iran is close to having the potential to build a nuclear weapon, Medvedev said on Monday in the clearest indication yet of Russian alarm over Tehran's atomic drive. (AFP/Pool/Sergey Ponomarev)
Yo, Israel.
Time to pooh or get off the pot.
Your referring to the same pot that China and Russia helped create?
Aan Iranian technician working at the control room of the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facilities. Iran is close to having the potential to build a nuclear weapon, President Dmitry Medvedev said in the clearest indication yet of Russian alarm over Tehran's atomic drive. (AFP/File/Behrouz Mehri)
A map showing known nuclear sites in Iran according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran is close to having the potential to build a nuclear weapon, President Dmitry Medvedev said in the clearest indication yet of Russian alarm over Tehran's atomic drive. (AFP/Graphic)
Russia perplexes me. After all, they are a lot closer to Iran than we are and if there is one thing that the last 30 years has proved conclusively it’s that “making nice” to Muslims does not make you their friends.
Hell, Chechnya and the “black widows” should have made that quite clear. Iran and the “stans” are an Islamic dagger pointed right at Russia’s underbelly. Do they really want to give (or let those savages build) a nuclear-tipped sword?
US shares Medvedev worries on Iran
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100712/pl_afp/irannuclearpoliticsrussiaus
WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States on Monday saluted Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s criticism of Iran and said it shared concerns that the Islamic republic could reach a “tipping point” in its nuclear drive.
Medvedev said that Iran was close to having the potential to build a nuclear weapon, the clearest sign yet of alarm about Tehran’s atomic drive from Russia — which in the past has taken a milder line than Western powers.
“This is just indicative of the cooperation and shared perspective that the United States and Russia have reached on this issue,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters.
Crowley said that Iran’s continued pursuit of sensitive uranium enrichment work was narrowing the “leap from a civilian program to a military program.”
Medvedev knows that Russia could easily glass Iran over, but he also knows their apocalypse-minded mullahs don’t give a damn about that. In the meantime, Iran could nuke anybody that the Taliban has a fit of pique with. That includes, historically, the Russians.
Close to having the potential...could it be a little more vague?
Could be a bit of gamesmanship going on,, setting them up for a good clobbering... or ?
Iran has a strategy involving endless negotiation, press conferences and speeches at the UN, which are the same as Obama’s strategy. The result of both strategies will be that Iran ends up with atomic weapons.
At times Russia had designs on Persia to provide year round ports.
—
Yup.. a long quest to gain&maintain sea ports.
Russia is willing to “go goon” on the Slammies, and that gets them a bit more respect than punch-pulling America gets. Ultimately, however, they don’t have a very good answer to Islam itself. The Slammie reaction to the Bush war in Iraq seems to show that sometimes they will also respect someone who bids fair to take territory from Islam. But this reaction varies from place to place. Ahmedinajad probably doesn’t give a hoot if Iran is incinerated, if he can get in his missile for Allah first.
Israel has more than 10 ICMBs. Just do it.
Huh? Russia is “disturbed” at the fact that Iran will be getting nuclear weapons?
Russia has been one of the top enablers of the Iranian nuclear programs.
Mark
I don’t understand his motivation. Is he baiting US/Israel?
Close to having the potential...could it be a little more vague?
Hey! I have an idea...
Get the UN to pass a resolution!
Of course.
Israel has to do something or they will be ended.
Funny game the russians play here in the Mid-East and Iran.
They want to make money off the Iranians and Syrians etc. But GOD knows they do not want the crazies of Iran or elsewhere like Burma? to get nukes.
Specially a nutcase so close to mother russia.
Even the russians are praying Israel kicks snot out of iran.
I know i am.
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