Western experts believe that the systems will be used to protect the air space in the area of Bushehr nuclear power plant and the uranium-enrichment works in Natants. It will be a lot difficult to destroy the nuclear objects in this case. It was never a problem before, because the majority of Iran’s own missile complexes are outdated. Iran would never be the winner in a possible conflict. The situation changed slightly after the country purchased 29 Tor-M1 missile complexes, although they can not protect the nation’s strategic objects from high altitude strikes.
Teheran has been trying to obtain 30 enhanced S-300 complexes for quite a time already. The USA and Israel did not let this happen. Washington introduced sanctions against Russia’s several defense enterprises. Everything changed after the five-day war in South Ossetia. Both Washington and Tel Aviv provided Georgia with political and military assistance.
Several experts said that the USA and Israel could strike a preemptive blow on Iran before the S-300 systems were deployed there. However, Israel would have to strike the country alone, because George W. Bush’s presidency expires in only several days. The new US president is not ready to use force against Iran, at least in the near future.
The Boston Globe wrote that the Russian administration is trying to haggle with Obama regarding the missile defense system in Eastern Europe. The Sunday Telegraph wrote that the S-300 systems would serve as the Sword of Damocles that would hit the West in case the United States continued to push Ukraine and Georgia towards NATO membership.
Western experts say that everything was clear already at the end of August, when Moscow agreed with Teheran to ship the systems via Belarus. Even Ehud Olmert’s visit to Moscow in September could not change the situation. Georgia used Israeli-made weapons to exterminate Russian citizens in South Ossetia, whereas Israel wanted to disrupt Russia’s arms deal and offer nothing in return.
Croatia ’s online publication Necenzurirano reported that a large batch of S-300 systems had been delivered to Iran from the Croatian port of Kraljevica on board Libyan ships in September 2008. Israeli journalists from The Jerusalem Post conducted their own investigation regarding the matter. They paid attention to the fact that the defense ministry of Israel neither confirmed nor rejected the information, but said that Zagreb had obtained a large batch of S-300 systems after the break-up of the USSR. Croatia supposedly wanted to get rid of the systems to be able to join NATO.
Consequently, the USA and the EU need to sort out the Croatian and the Libyan tracks first before they could blame Russia for all mortal sins. Croatia is becoming a full-fledged NATO member next year after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment