The S-300 issue: can Iran be trusted?
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva
The issue of trust is an eternal issue, but the issue of trust
in Iran is also a difficult one.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has lifted a ban on the sale of
S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran. This will allow Tehran
to finally get one of the most advanced systems in the world to
shoot down the high-altitude aircraft and cruise missiles.
Russia and Iran signed an agreement for the supply of S-300 systems
in 2007. However, the deal was postponed in 2010 after the UN
Security Council adopted tough sanctions against Iran.
In this case, the refusal from selling S-300 was Moscow’s gesture
of goodwill as in fact, the sanctions have not covered these
complexes because they are considered as defensive systems, rather
than heavy weapons.
President Putin explained his recent decision by the fact that Iran
has become so flexible and compliant in its nuclear program, that
the sale of the promised defensive systems must not be of
concern.
And everything would've been fine, except there's a catch. The
S-300 system is one of the most successful military developments of
the Russian defense industry, which has not only powerful missiles,
but also highly effective radars.
S-300 can track up to 100 targets simultaneously and also destroy
them at a distance of up to 130 kilometers. This means that the
highly mobile system, which is assembled within minutes and
transported by trucks, will create enormous problems for the entire
world community if Iran decides to continue developing its nuclear
program.
To do this, Tehran just has to place S-300 systems around its
nuclear facilities. Defensive complexes will transform Iranian
territories into practically no-fly zones.
The US and NATO aircraft, F-16 or F/A-18 Hornet will be shot down
at the first attempt to attack and the US has too small number of
B-2 Spirit and F-22 Raptor stealth bombers (only several tens of
machines) that can safely operate in the areas defended by
S-300.
The S-300 is sold against the backdrop of the next report of the
International Atomic Energy Agency saying that during the talks
held on Apr.15 in Tehran, Iran and P5+1 (US, UK, France, Russia,
China plus Germany) again failed to resolve two issues on the
possible military aspects of Iran’s nuclear program, the
information about which was supposed to be provided by Iran in
August 2014.
Given that for nearly two years Iran has unsuccessfully been trying
to convince the West of its nuclear program being secure, it still
manages not to comply with the requirements of the IAEA and avoid
answering undesirable questions. So draw your own conclusions about
the expediency of selling S-300 to Iran…
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