Israel Matzav

Why Russia is arming Iran

Kim Zigfeld has an interesting take on why Russia is arming Iran. It's mostly about hating America.

Just weeks ago, rumors began circulating that Vladimir Putin’s KGB had begun sharing intelligence directly with the Hezbollah terrorist organization. At the time, the obscurity of the sources reporting this information combined with the seeming insanity of such a policy made the reports appear questionable to many. But now, with a secret delivery of high-technology weapons to Iran, such reports become chilling to contemplate.

Russia achieves a great deal by sowing terror in the Middle East. First and foremost, such terror ripples through international oil markets and drives up the price of Russian crude — the only thing keeping the Putin regime afloat these days after the Russian stock market collapsed in the wake of the global economic crisis. In August, Russia’s budget deficit increased a horrifying 40 percent, and a jolting 15 percent currency devaluation is predicted before the end of the year.

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No wonder the Iranians are in quite a hurry to get their hands on Russian missiles to ward off an Israeli military strike — with the Obama administration dithering, Israel can have no confidence that American diplomacy will defuse the crisis, and that means Iran can have no confidence its infant nuclear arsenal will survive without Russian protection.

Announcing Russia’s refusal to help rein in Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated: “Iran is a partner that has never harmed Russia in any way.” One must wonder whether Lavrov would accept American military aid to the Chechen terrorists who stormed the Dubrovka theater and the school in Beslan on the grounds that Chechens had never done anything to Americans. It seems doubtful that he would do so, but hypocrisy of this kind has never been any sort of brake on Russian (or Soviet) foreign policy in the past.

Russia’s hatred of America is so intense, and its economic mismanagement and failure so profound, that it has become quite desperate. It is a neighbor of Iran and no friend of Islam (as any Chechen can testify). Just as American weapons given to the mujaheddin of Afghanistan yesterday are used against Americans today, so too Russian weapons flowing into Iran may come back with interest some day. But this is Russia’s only card to play in the geopolitical game of cold war that the Kremlin’s clan of KGB rulers simply cannot walk away from, regardless of the cost to the people of Russia or the world.

The Israelis aren't going to accept a diplomatic outcome that leaves the possibility of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran needs the Russian S-300 regardless of whether it fears an attack by Israel or by the United States.

But other than that, she's spot-on. The Russians are back to the cold war game of fomenting terrorism and crises. But when the next Cuban missile crisis comes along (in Venezuela), Obama won't stare down the Russians like John Kennedy did. Obama will capitulate and allow the missiles to stay.

Read the whole thing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:42 PM