- Russia's plan to resume arms sales to Iran has triggered
a diplomatic scramble to stop the collapse of an arms embargo that Washington
considers to be a mainstay of Middle Eastern security.
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- Submarines, minesweepers, missiles and spare parts for
Iran,s Soviet-era arsenal could all be made available to Tehran after a
three-day visit by the Russian Defence Minister. Both sides have hailed
the trip as historic, although the US has given warning that it could lead
to sanctions being imposed on Moscow.
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- No landmark arms deals were announced as Marshal Igor
Sergeyev concluded his visit " the first of its kind since the Iranian
revolution in 1979 " but Russian sources told the Interfax agency
that behind the scenes, concrete proposals for the sale of missiles, patrol
boats and diesel submarines were discussed. Iran had also expressed interest
in portable rocket launchers, military helicopters and Sukhoi-25 fighters,
the sources said.
-
- The reports leave little doubt that a long-term American
effort to stem Russian military aid to Iran, which Washington accuses of
sponsoring terrorism throughout the region, is in tatters.
-
- There was swift criticism from Washington: a State Department
spokesman said that such sales would jeopardise US national interests and
those of its allies. "It,s not sufficient for Russia simply to call
this type of equipment defensive,, Philip Reeker said. "Some of the
equipment reportedly being discussed would pose a serious threat.
-
- Despite Russian claims that it has broken no international
agreements, the US is also concerned that Moscow could help Iran to develop
and deliver weapons of mass destruction. Yesterday the US Embassy in Moscow
was said to be seeking clarification of the Russian position.
-
- The Kremlin gave notice last month that it planned to
break a 1995 pledge to the US not to sell tanks and other battlefield weapons
to Iran. Since then it has also pressed ahead to complete a deal, said
to be worth $3.3 billion (£2.2 billion) to Russia, under which India
will build up to 140 high-tech Sukhoi-30 fighters during the next 17 years.
-
- Future arms deals could have an even more profound effect:
if Moscow presses ahead despite American entreaties, it could earn up to
$7 billion from Tehran during the next few years, Andrei Nikolayev of the
Duma,s defence commission has said.
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- The immediate results of Marshal Sergeyev,s trip to Tehran
will include a programme to train Iranian officers in Russia and a resumption
of high-level military ties that were suspended after the 1995 agreement
between Washington and Moscow. Both sides also spoke of the need to work
together on Central Asian security, which they agree is threatened by the
Taleban,s stranglehold on Afghanistan.
-
- Privately, Iran has made clear that it wants to spend
its huge oil surplus on modernising its Armed Forces. Moscow is happy to
oblige, not only to boost its earnings but also as a show of strength to
Washington as President-elect Bush formulates his foreign policy.
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- Mr Bush has indicated that he plans to scale back American
foreign military activity, and he may already be reaping what he has sown.
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- In a clear signal to Washington not to overreact to the
new warmth between Moscow and Tehran, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, the Iranian
Foreign Minister, said on Thursday: "Today, it is proved that independent
states are free in choosing their allies, irrespective of the views of
others and external intervention.
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