Russia starts missile delivery to Iran: Iranian MP

Source: Washington Post

<snip>

"Russia has begun delivering S-300 air defense systems to Iran which could help repel any Israeli and U.S. air strikes on its nuclear sites, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday.

"After few years of talks with Russia ... now the S-300 system is being delivered to Iran," IRNA quoted Email Kosari, deputy head of parliament's Foreign Affairs and National Security committee, as saying.

Kosari did not say when the deliveries began. Iran's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the report. Russia's Foreign Ministry also declined comment, saying it may react on Monday.

The United States, its European allies and Israel say Iran is seeking to build nuclear arms under the cover of a civilian atomic energy program. Iran denies the charge."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100575.html

The US & Israel have no business messing w/ Iran.

Look at the anti ship missiles the Iranians already have & w/ the S-300 system then basically no US/Israeli weapon system will be able to penetrate Iranian territory.

for war games showing the US losing in the Persian Gulf: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18687.htm

S-300 reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SA-10_Grumble

did ya notice s-300 can shoot down ballistic missiles unlike our AA systems which after 20 years & billions still don't work.

1. Iran has old anti-ship missiles that pose no real threat. If you are refering to Sunburns - it is an internet myth, there is absolutely no evidence that Iran has any.

2. The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System has had numerous successes. Remember the satellite that was shot down?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegis_Ballistic_Missile_Defense_System

Patriot missiles shot down at least 8 Iraqi ballistic missiles in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIM-104_Patriot#Patriot_in_Operation_Iraqi_Freedom_.282003.29

I am not saying they are perfect. But the Russians have never shot down a ballistic missile in a test, much less during an actual war. And based on the abysmal combat record of Soviet/Russian military systems, I would be in no hurry to believe the PR on the sales brochure.

My only point is that if we don't bomb them, it is not because Iran has a credible military deterrent.

not so much. The sa300 was covering the reactor that israel smoked in syria. Whoops, bet they want a refund now.

The sunburn (ka) platform lived part of its life as a joint project between the us and russia to develop a drone. You know something we test shooting weapons at.

Janes defense is a great resource and free at you library.

Here is a short list of thinks that can walk through airspace with no real problem.:
B2
F117
F22
(those carry lots of explodey things that kill airplanes on the ground and sam sites.)
F18
F15
(these pretty much do the rest once the target is blind)
Tomahawk
Various cruise missile platforms you have never heard of.
(low radar profile systems that do nasty things like blow up every dam in a country at 2am, that causes problems)

and of course contrary to your post the re entry vehicles from a trident D5 can make it past a shitty russian sam site maned by conscripts. Not that there is any real chance of that happening.

Iran is a 3rd world petro state. They need to worry about feeding people and the economic noose tightening because of the free fall of the price of oil.. Even with a nuke they just increase the threat to themselves.

That is not to good for them.

policy.

Now what? We threaten to bomb Moscow next?

I cannot remember a President who so completely botched everything he tried to do.

And it's the only thing reliable about the man.

I fear what will happen now. If Russia is really delivering these missiles then Israel might very well strike Iran in the coming days/weeks; and if that happens God only knows what will happen in the Middle East. Between this and the end of the cease-fire in Gaza; Israel is looking increasingly weak, and Israeli officials believe their existence is based on demonstrating credible strength. Personally I don't think anything major will happen in the Middle East until after the Israeli and Lebanese elections this upcoming year.

They have enough trouble already, and short of using their MRBMs they lack the means to do anything effective. If they can't defeat Hezbollah, they sure as hell can't defeat Iran.

reactor that was turned into a smoking crater. They do what every first world nation does, buy better weapon to defeat russian trash.

or do you not really desire a more equitable military competition? Fights among equals does make for better spectator sport after all.

Iran is a 3rd world petro state. Its economy should just fail. Maybe all that money spent on Kahn and centrifuges can be used to feed people as oil crashes below the $40 a bbl mark.

I notice Gaza is being really obedient now too. What do you want from me? Go for it, attack Iran, see what happens. Long range mouth-fighters always win their wars, eh?

see what happens to Hamas then. Those arrangements tend to lead bad things and dead people. Egypt will not touch it, or they will kill everyone who would oppose their government.

You are talking about assholes who shoot unguided weapons at cities. If any first world nation applied that policy, it would be unacceptable. You think the technology that burned tokyo and razed dresden no longer exists, or that we just dont use it. Wake me up when someone starts killing 300,000 people in 24 hour spans. Did not see anything like that in the dust up over a kidnapping.

This little spat does not even register on the scale of real historically significant warfare.

The Palestinian issue stopped being relevant after the berlin wall fell. Notice europe does not give two shits about the hamas government and refuses to fund it.

Now what did Hezbollah win? Running short on friends and dollars.

Maybe it will work next time.

both sides think they are special. They are not. You have a simple land dispute that is made complex by religion and old cold war policy. You have lots of simple things made over complex.

If this were about brown people in africa in cent. af. republic the majority who follow this topic would not give two shits.

But this is a cause man..A lifestyle, putting on a keffiyeh and protesting is fun, no reason to actually look at this rationally.

It is what it is.

And if they can't beat Hezbollah next door, it seems reasonable to think they won't be able to beat Iran far away and much bigger. But it's just an opinion.

....a fait accompli?....call me gullible, but has anyone offered any credible evidence of an Iranian nuclear arms program?....of an Iranian nuclear weapon?

....being driven full-speed into perpetual war by Obama, instead of the chimp, won't make the journey any more enjoyable....

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1048586.html

<snip>

"Russia's state arms export agency said Monday it is supplying Iran with defensive weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, but did not say whether they include sophisticated long-range S-300 missiles.

Iranian media reported Sunday that Russia had begun supplying the S-300s — a course of action Israel and the United States have aggressively opposed.

Supplying the advanced missile systems to Iran would markedly change the military balance in the Middle East and the issue has been the subject of intense speculation and diplomatic wrangling for months.

Rosoboronexport said in a statement that "only weapons of a defensive nature are being supplied to Iran, including anti-aircraft weaponry." It added that, previously, Tor-M1 air-defense systems were supplied to Iran.

"Russia is developing military-technical cooperation with Iran in strict compliance with its international commitments stemming from nonproliferation agreements. This cooperation cannot be a source of concern for third countries," the statement said.

Rosoboronexport spokesman Vyacheslav Davydenko confirmed that S-300 missiles were considered defensive weapons, but refused to say whether they were being supplied to Tehran."

more

Well I guess this is the answer to our governments question.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9580HG00&show_article=1

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. officials say they want answers from Russia on whether it is selling advanced surface-to-air missiles to Iran. The U.S. insists such a move could threaten American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I would tell the US to fuck off.

to several countries over the decades? When the US does it, its not bad... But when other countries do it, it is?? How absurd.