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Last update - 12:21 24/12/2008
Russia-Iran arms deal shows just how sanctions have stalled
By Barak Ravid
Tags: Iran sanctions, nuclear Iran 

For more than a decade, Israel has been trying to isolate Iran and push international sanctions against Tehran in a bid to keep it from going nuclear. But now that Iran is slightly more than a year away from crossing the technological threshold that will allow it to become a nuclear power, according to Military Intelligence, the sanctions appear to be dying. The only point of light on the Iran issue is the drop in oil prices and the global financial crisis, say Israeli government officials.

The past two weeks in particular have shown top Israeli officials just how much the sanctions are stalling, how weak the international front against Iran is, and how low is the motivation for escalating action against Iran. This was particularly evident to Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad, who spoke to Russian officials in Moscow about supplying advanced long-range surface-to-air missiles to Iran.

Russia's state arms export agency said on Monday that it was supplying Iran with defensive weapons, including surface-to-air missiles. It did not say whether they include the sophisticated S-300 missiles, though the Russian ambassador to Israel told Israeli authorities this week that it stands by its commitment not to supply Iran with the weapons.
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In addition to being disappointed with Russia's conduct regarding the missiles, Israel is also concerned about continued Russian assistance with Iran's construction of its nuclear facility in Bushehr, and Russia's indifference to the advanced state of Iran's nuclear program.

While in Moscow, Gilad laid out what is happening with the nuclear program in a meeting with Sergey Kiriyenko, who heads Russia's atomic energy agency, Rosatom. The conversation left the Russian director unfazed.

"The reactor in Bushehr won't help the Iranians at all in building nuclear weapons," Kiriyenko said. "There isn't any plutonium in the nuclear fuel rods that we're giving them." He also rejected Israeli concerns that Iran is enriching uranium. "Even if they have 6,000 centrifuges, they won't be able to reach the level needed for the construction of nuclear weapons."

But Russia isn't the only country with unwelcome news. Israeli officials were eager to hear details about Germany's reported plan for stronger sanctions against Iran, but when a German Foreign Office official arrived in Israel, he said it was only an idea so far, and wouldn't get off the ground for at least six months.

Worse still was the situation in Spain last week, where Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos rolled out the red carpet for Mehdi Safari, Iran's deputy foreign minister for European affairs, and said Spain wanted to improve ties with Iran.

But for all the international indifference to Iran's nuclear aspirations, some Israeli officials are looking on the bright side. "Even if the sanctions are weak, their combination with the global financial crisis and the drop in oil prices do harm Iran," a top Foreign Ministry official said.

Israeli officials are hoping that Barack Obama's presidency will "rouse the world from its sleep." Despite some concern over the dialogue Obama is expected to hold with Tehran, Israeli government officials see the predicted failure of those talks as providing international legitimacy for far tougher steps against Iran. level needed for the construction of nuclear weapons."

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      1.   Financial crisis and selling arms to Iran 05:51  |  Abas 24/12/08
      2.   Not enough time for Obama`s talks 06:04  |  An American 24/12/08
      3.   Sanctions on Iran 07:22  |  Ziggy 24/12/08
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      5.   paranoia 09:10  |  Capt Ahab 24/12/08
      6.   The world-wide crisis is going to hurt the US allies 09:32  |  Kris Lazar 24/12/08
      7.   Sanctions can`t work with a Global Economic Crisis. 09:53  |  JustMe 24/12/08
      8.   Israel`s fond hope 10:46  |  Clickfool 24/12/08
      9.   Iran and the bomb 11:31  |  H 24/12/08
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      11.   Israel thinks the world turns around it 13:06  |  Mark B. 24/12/08
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      22.   DUH! 16:38  |  Persian Kitty 24/12/08
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