Israel Matzav

Israel names Russians helping Iran?

The ever-hysterical Uzi Mahnaimi reports in Sunday's Times of London that the reason for Prime Minister Netanyahu's 'secret' trip to Moscow in September was to hand Russian Prime Minister Putin a list of Russians who are involved in advising Iran on its nuclear program.

“We have heard that Netanyahu came with a list and concrete evidence showing that Russians are helping the Iranians to develop a bomb,” said a source close to the Russian defence minister last week.

“That is why it was kept secret. The point is not to embarrass Moscow, rather to spur it into action.”

Israeli sources said it was a short, tense meeting at which Netanyahu named the Russian experts said to be assisting Iran in its nuclear programme.

In western capitals the latest claims were treated with caution. American and British officials argued that the involvement of freelance Russian scientists belonged to the past.

American officials said concern about Russian experts acting without official approval, had been raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a report more than a year ago.

“There has been Russian help. It is not the government, it is individuals, at least one helping Iran on weaponisation activities and it is worrisome,” said David Albright, a former weapons inspector who is president of the Institute for Science and International Security.

However, Israeli officials insist that any Russian scientists working in Iran could do so only with official approval.

Robert Einhorn, the special adviser for non-proliferation and arms control to Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, is understood to believe that Russian companies have also supplied material that has been used by Iran in the production of ballistic missiles.

Unfortunately, this sounds all too plausible; in fact it would be at least as plausible if the Russian government itself were helping the Iranians. What's worse is that since President Obama is busy looking for pennies on the floor and cannot stand up to the Russians (or anyone else), if the Russians are determined to help Iran, there is little that the Obama administration will do to stop them.

What could go wrong?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:02 PM