Posted on 07/22/2015 9:00:06 AM PDT by rickmichaels
In defiance of the international arms embargo, Iran last week placed an order with Moscow for a huge fleet of 100 Russian IL78 MKI tanker aircraft (NATO: Midas) for refueling its air force in mid-flight, thereby extending its range to 7,300 km. This is reported exclusively by DEBKAfile from its military and intelligence sources. The transaction runs contrary to the terms of the nuclear accord the six world powers and Iran signed in Vienna earlier this month.
These tanker planes can simultaneously refuel six to eight warplanes. Their acquisition brings Israel, 1.200km away – as well the rest of the Middle East - within easy range of Iranian aerial bombardment. It also puts Iran’s air force ahead of Israel’s in terms of the quantity and range of its refueling capacity.
Whereas opponents of the Vienna deal have warned that Tehran will spend the billions of dollars released by sanctions relief as a bonanza for fueling its campaigns of terror in the region, it turns out that Iran’s first post-accord purchase is a heavy investment in the rearmament and upgrade of its armed forces’ aggressive capabilities.
The Israeli air force is familiar with the Russian airborne tanker from its use by the Indian air force with which Israel has close ties of cooperation. Its military engineers have also upgraded the Russian fuel tankers in service with the Uzbekistan air force.
Tuesday, July 21, DEBKAfile uncovered some of the tactics and escape clauses Iran has had built into its nuclear accord with the world powers for circumventing its provisions and commitments. The purchase of Russian refueling craft is a concrete example of this kind of evasion. Because the accord confirms the arms embargo in force until 2020, both Moscow and Tehran can maintain that the Russian aircraft industry will not be able to produce 100 new planes before the five years are up, and so the transaction is not a violation.
The huge Iranian-Russian military transaction therefore stands as the first palpable test of the Vienna accord, depending on whether US President Barack Obama or his Secretary of State John Kerry decides to make an issue of it. If they just let it go, it will set a precedent for the arms embargo clause of the nuclear accord to start unraveling.
Also Tuesday, Kerry gave an interview to the Al Arabia TV to prepare the way for his mission to the Gulf region on Aug. 3, which is to ease its rulers’ extreme unease over the ramifications of the nuclear accord. He asserted strongly to the interviewer: “I am not going to go through in great detail all the ways in which this agreement, in fact, makes the Gulf States and the region safer.”
The Secretary of State can expect some really hard questions during his trip on exactly how the Vienna accord makes the region safer, when Iran’s first act after signing is to arm itself with a fleet of Russian in-flight fuel tankers to expand and strengthen its range and power for aerial aggression.
How many fighter planes do they have?
Mr. Kerry/Obama is Iran’s purchase of these refueling tankers militarily defensive in nature or a distinctly offensive act to project power and intimidate? How does this impact Israel?
Just answer the questions.
If Iran get these Israel is finished. King Obama will just do nothing to protect Israel and quite possible help Iran. The world does not realize that Iran is the new Hitler and now that they can make ICBM and nukes guaranteed by the US, they are in trouble.
“These tanker planes can simultaneously refuel six to eight warplanes.”
Yea, right.
The mullahs can now echo Lenin: "The West will supply us the rope to hang them" //// "There is no reason for President Obama to give Iran that amount of money, which will be used tomorrow to try to destroy Israel, hire tens of thousands of ISIS, Hamas, and Hezb’allah terrorists, and finance terrorism against America and other countries. It will put at risk our Navy in the Persian Gulf, with Obama probably ordering some type of American retreat when challenged by the Iranians so as not to jeopardize our "partnership" with them as well as the hopes he has placed in the mullahs and his sympathy for other Iranian goals. This so-called treaty has been a hoax from the beginning, a ruse and cover-up for Mr. Obama's plan to resurrect Iran and financially fortify the mullahs and Iran."
Well, there goes some of the $150 million dollars obama is releasing to the Iranian (death to America) mullahs.
It is not a question of how many aircraft they currently possess. Now that the sanctions are all removed and they are flush with cash, and an unimpeded economy, they can - and will - go out and simply purchase offensive aircraft. The sanctions are gone.
Iran isn’t stupid. They aren’t going to go and buy attack aircraft quite yet, but this is obviously the first step. So yeah, they don’t have it now, but they will. And this act is starkly revealing.
I think they meant (or didn’t understand the meaning) that one tanker can supply fuel to 6-8 warplanes per mission.
IIRC, US aide to Israel is $20 billion a year....and considered to be a large sum. $150 Billion payday to Iran is mind blowing...probably exceeds the total of all US foreign aid to Israel ever.
The good news is, “there’s peace in our time”.
The bad news is, time’s up.
Israel will not be finished, God won’t allow it, but this is bad all the same.
With Israel being more cornered everyday now, I'd say that soon -there won't be any place to park any thing in Iran.
and we’re paying for them!
Now we know how Iran plans to start using the $100 Billion spending money handed over by Kerry and obama
Total US aid to Israel is around $3 billion per year, mostly military aid that must be spent in the US, and much made necessary only because the US also arms Israel’s enemies.
I bet they come with Russian pilots.
I would think that is a good portion of it. I have not priced a Russian refueling jet lately, but I would think 100 of them should be $100 million or more.
Israel is quite capable of defending itself, as we will likely see in the near future.
I wonder if they bought a good, third-party extended warranty?
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