Saudis bargain with Russia over Iran missile deal
Published: 03 October, 2009, 16:40
Edited: 05 October, 2009, 11:00
TAGS: Military, Nuclear, Russia, Middle East, USA
Saudi Arabia’s proposal to buy an advanced missile system S-400 from Russia is aimed at aborting Moscow’s similar deal with Iran, say Gulf analysts and diplomats, AFP news agency reports.
The parties involved claim Moscow and Riyadh are close to sealing a deal on a multibillion-dollar weapons deal.
According to experts and diplomats, Saudi officials are concerned that Western pressure has failed to prevent Iran's development of nuclear know-how as Riyadh doesn’t believe that Tehran’s nuke program is peaceful.
The S-400 is the newest version of the S-300 long-range surface to air missile system capable of detecting and simultaneously engaging six targets from a range of 400 kilometers to 3,500 kilometers at a speed of 4.5 kilometers per second.
The S-400 missile defense system could be a part of a much larger contract with Russia, which would include helicopters, tanks, and other military equipment.
The Financial Times newspaper reported on Wednesday that, as part of the deal, Saudi Arabia demanded guarantees from Russia that it won’t sell S-300 systems to Iran.
“The Saudis would rather this weapon system were not sold to Iran or [another possible buyer] Syria,” Theodore Karasik, director of research at the Dubai-based Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, told AFP.
Tehran wanted to purchase S-300 defense systems from Moscow and the deal was signed in 2005, but the equipment has not yet been delivered to Iran.
Heavy pressure from the West and Israel, and possibly a Saudi contract, have persuaded Moscow to put on hold that sale to Tehran, diplomats in the Gulf said on the condition of anonymity to AFP.
“The pressure from the US is a stick and the huge weapons deal prepared by the Saudis is a carrot,” Director of Centre for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Ruslan Pukhov told Interfax news agency. “We all know Saudi Arabia buys weapons as a ‘bribe’ to the world’s great powers in exchange for support,” he added.
03.10.2009, 09:58
8 comments
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These are just games. More, and more games. Now, Israel has increased the pitch, by coming up with the newest fantastic story: Russians are helping Iran build a bomb! And this is what Netanyahu set about to tell Putin during his secret trip! And the Arctic Sea had secret aluminum tubes inserted into those wood logs. Yeah, and there was a shippment of yellowcakes along with some woodchips. Or am I mixing up the stories from Iraq war justifications... It is hard to keep them apart, especially when the Israeli "intelligence" is concerned. If it is not one fantastic story, it is another. Why would Russian Federation shoot itself in the foot now? Few years ago, West was confidently dishing out the terms and conditions on the life on earth. Now, that the air is out of the baloon, and the financial crisis is being temporarily glossed over, why on earth would anyone rush to help the cause? Saudi Arabia may want to buy some military hardware, what would be new there. But Russia needs to consider its own security. Russia's security and the security of Iran are inseparable. And Iran's security and the security of China are inseparable. So, the rest is just talk. And it is not about the nuclear issue, but about Iran's energy wealth. Europe would like to get its paws on it, on its own terms. But EU does not like to give much to the transit countries, like Turkey. US and UK would like to control it, and then sell it to Europe via Nabucco. Swell! Russia and China would not mind seeing it go East, and some of it West via Russian pipelines. Iran and Russia would like to do business with Turkey, but via South Stream into Europe. As complicated as it looks, Iran needs Russia and China behind it solidly. Russia and China occassionally change the role of the one most likely to be "softened" by the West.
I can't bring myself to believe that Russia would fall into the strategic trap set by Israel and the United States. Everybody knows that Saudi Arabia has nothing but petrodollars and is the obedient stooge of the United States. It is being forced into this game to entice Russia to jeopardize its strategic interests. It will be no less than utter folly for Russia to deny Iran what she has promised to deliver. The most important asset Russia has going for her is the admiration of the world for its honesty and steadfastness. No Russian politician in his right mind would even consider scrapping the Iran deal for a more lucrative (temporarily) with the political nobody Saudi Arabia.
Agreed Bianca, this is all about Nabucco. And yes, Iran’s security directly impacts the former Soviet states; especially Armenia & Turkmenistan. The Karabakh issue would be swiftly resolved in Azerbaijan’s favour; and Iranian and Turkmen gas would flow to Europe via Nabucco. And the US would finally achieve what they have been working so hard for: bankrupting Gazprom! Under-estimating Russian-Iranian ties is such a bad mistake. And the Saudis will be so sorry…