Iran to buy TMD System.

[MKSheppard]

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Russia is preparing to equip Iran with a powerful new air defense system that would dramatically increase its ability to repel an attack, Iran's defense minister said Wednesday.

The S-300 anti-aircraft missile defense system is capable of shooting down aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missile warheads at ranges of over 90 miles and at altitudes of about 90,000 feet. Russian military officials boast that its capabilities outstrip the U.S. Patriot missile system.

The S-300 is an improvement over the Tor-M1 air defense missile system. Russia delivered 29 Tor-M1s to Iran this year under a $700 million contract signed in December 2005.

"The S-300 air defense system will be delivered to Iran on the basis of a contract signed with Russia in the past," Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said, according to state television.

Najjar didn't say when or how many of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile defense systems would be shipped to Iran, and Russian officials declined to comment.

The Tor-M1 is capable of hitting aerial targets flying at up to 20,000 feet.

"While Tor-M1 missiles can hit targets at low altitude, S-300 missile have an extraordinary performance against targets at high altitude," Najjar said.

Russian officials wouldn't comment on the Iranian statement. Russian officials have consistently denied they were selling the S-300 to Iran. Iranian media reports have claimed the S-300 missile systems could inflict significant damage to the U.S. or Israeli forces, were they to attack Iran.

The United States had said in the past that it would not rule out military action as a way to halt Iran's nuclear enrichment, claiming it was using it as cover for weapons development. But earlier this month, Washington reversed course, concluding in an intelligence assessment that Iran stopped direct work on creating nuclear arms in 2003 and that the program remained frozen through at least the middle of this year.

Israel says Iran remains a strong threat, but most analysts think any Israeli military operation is unlikely at this point.

Teams led by Mikhail Dmitriyev, head of the Russian Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, and Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, regarded as the father of Iran's missile program, held talks in Tehran this week on ways to step up defense cooperation.

A military expert speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject said that the Russian team included experts who had installed the Tor-M1 in Iran.

Dmitriyev told the Russian Itar-Tass news agency Wednesday said air defense and radar systems were priorities in Russian-Iranian defense discussions.

Russia has provided Iran with Kilo-Class submarines, MIG and Sukhoi military planes and bombers in recent decades.

Iran-Russia ties increased after a visit here by Russian President Vladimir Putin in October.

-------------

I bet you they're put around Tehran and the reactor complexes; to forestall a US rar we nuke you! attack out of the blue.

[MKSheppard]

So according to Stuart; this makes the following:

By the way, to put things into context, the following countries are working on or developing ABM systems

United States
Russia
China
Israel
France
Germany
India
Japan
South Korea
Taiwan

The following countrues have bought into, or are negotiating to buy into, other people's ABM systems

Great Britain
Netherlands
Spain
Italy
Japan
South Korea
Taiwan
Australia
India
Pakistan
Singapore
Iran
Saudi Arabia
Syria

[K. A. Pital]

I bet you they're put around Tehran and the reactor complexes

Those are prime attack targets. Where else do you put air-defense systems anyway?

[Gerald Tarrant]

I bet you they're put around Tehran and the reactor complexes

Those are prime attack targets. Where else do you put air-defense systems anyway?

Ports, and refineries both come to mind. Although IIRC Iran doesn't have sufficient refinery capacity for its needs, which makes ports a little more important from an economic standpoint.

[K. A. Pital]

Ports, and refineries both come to mind.

In case of war Iran will end up in a financial and naval blockade quite surely. So I guess inland power generation is more important.

[Phantasee]

Ports, and refineries both come to mind.

In case of war Iran will end up in a financial and naval blockade quite surely. So I guess inland power generation is more important.

Those are likely targets for a first strike anyway. Considering the most likely justifications for such a war.

[Jadeite]

Greece and Slovakia, both NATO members, possess S-300s. I imagine the US is quite familiar with the system.

[Netko]

They actually learned the most about the system from a incomplete system Croatia acquired back in 1994-95 (its showing during the summer '95 military parade is credited with dissuading the various Serb factions from launching retaliatory plane strikes against Zagreb in response to their major military setbacks in '95 despite it never being completed because its radar system was never acquired - which the Serb factions didn't know), and which it soon after allowed the US to examine in detail as a return favour for UAV intelligence and training support before and during Operation Storm (retaking of Serb rebel held territories in '95.). I'm not sure on the exact model, but the ones Russia is selling to Iran are undoubtedly a more recent version since IIRC the Croatian one was acquired from reserve stock of one of the former Soviet satellites.

[Spyder]

Ah, good news. The more deterrent to the US getting involved in another stupid war the better.

[Medic]

Ah, good news. The more deterrent to the US getting involved in another stupid war the better.

At the risk of sounding jingoistic, it's hardly a deterrent. The Gulf War saw the USAF cracking open a very potent air defense and our own weapons systems have evolved to crack ever-more effective defenses: the F-22 has just recently been certified as Fully Mission Capable, meaning it can be deployed to war. Although in such an action it's "silver bullet" existence would be on full display.

If anything the greatest sources of deterrence to this war exist in the US military itself, in the threat of resignations if Bush started a war. More generally, the political atmosphere in the country could deter war. Even convinced history is on his side, the POTUS probably wouldn't want to hamstring current Republican POTUS candidates by handing them another Republican-started war.

[Mange]

It was said on the Finnish news (I don't understand that very much) that Russia denies having plans to sell the S-300 system to Iran and won't ever do that. Have anyone else heard that?

[K. A. Pital]

Russia denies having plans to sell the S-300 system to Iran and won't ever do that

I'm not up on the most recent Russian news due to certain personal life events, but I'm sure that if Russia says so, it means Irani officials are jumping the gun... quite probably they haven't yet offered enough money to close the possible S-300 contract.

[hongi]

I hope Russia sucks Iran out of as much money as they possibly can. God knows that if I was in the advantageous position of selling to a country desperate for AA defence, I'd do it.

[alexholker]

I hope Russia sucks Iran out of as much money as they possibly can. God knows that if I was in the advantageous position of selling to a country desperate for AA defence, I'd do it.

You would really see a threat of conflict as an opportunity to rip off the victim, as a general principle?

[TheMuffinKing]

I hope Russia sucks Iran out of as much money as they possibly can. God knows that if I was in the advantageous position of selling to a country desperate for AA defence, I'd do it.

You would really see a threat of conflict as an opportunity to rip off the victim, as a general principle?

Why not, especially when any alliances are tenuous at best? It probably isn't the best principal to use when trying to foster goodwill, but Russian companies have every right to profit off their labors.

[Ritterin Sophia]

I hope Russia sucks Iran out of as much money as they possibly can. God knows that if I was in the advantageous position of selling to a country desperate for AA defence, I'd do it.

You would really see a threat of conflict as an opportunity to rip off the victim, as a general principle?

For some reason I don't see the irreligious Russians being too symathetic to fundamentalists, when they often have to do counter-terrorism ops against fundamentalists. In fact, because of the poor state of large portions of their air force and navy, I can see them trying to take anyone and everyone for as much cash as they can.

[K. A. Pital]

Yeah, we're not really that kind, we're rather demanding in what concerns our technological and military cooperations... Iran almost fucked up their peaceful nuclear power project when they temporarily ran out of money to pay for Bushehr.