From BBC.com your only reliable news source! Russia plays down Iran nuclear deal Russia's closeness to Iran worries Washington Russia says "political factors" will determine if it goes through with plans to expand nuclear co-operation with Iran. "Whether the plans will be realised depends on many factors," a statement from the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry said. The move is an apparent concession to United States Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, who said on Thursday that the matter was of the "utmost" concern to the US. Last week Moscow surprised Washington by announcing a 10-year nuclear co-operation accord with Iran - one of three countries denounced by President George Bush as an "axis of evil". The US has long opposed Russia's involvement in the construction of a nuclear power plant at Bushehr in southern Iran, and the new accord includes provision for further plants to be built. The Russian Government programme "merely talks about the existing technical possibilities," the statement read. "Their implementation will depend on many factors, including political." 'Many factors' involved The statement follows three days of discussions between Russian energy ministers and Mr Abraham in Moscow. The talks were largely devoted to Russia's co-operation plan with Iran to build five new nuclear reactors. In response to US accusations that Russia's ties with Iran were helping advance its nuclear weapons programme, the atomic energy ministry said any nuclear deal was limited to building the reactor in Bushehr. On Thursday, Mr Abraham said he was deeply worried by Russia's decision to expand its projects in Iran. "We consistently urge Russia to cease all nuclear cooperation with Iran, including its assistance to the reactor in Bushehr," Mr Abraham said. His message was reaffirmed by US Under-Secretary of State John Bolton, who was also present at the discussions in Moscow. Mr Abraham accused Iran of "aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons as well as weapons of mass destruction". Civil atomic energy projects would only fast-track the country's nuclear weapons programme, he warned. US officials argue there can be no other reason for a country with Iran's oil resources to want so many nuclear power reactors. New nuclear deal The accord between Russia and Iran came as a surprise to US officials. In the wake of 11 September, Russia emerged as one of America's key allies in its anti-terror campaign. Less than a month ago, Moscow even agreed to a confidence-building $20bn aid package for dismantling Russia's weapons of mass destruction. But the BBC's regional affairs analyst Steven Eke says the issue of Russia's nuclear co-operation with Iran is one of the most contentious problems in US-Russia relations, and the reactor at Bushehr is at the heart of the problem. The plant should be running within two or three years and, while Moscow insists it has adequate controls in place, previous failures have provoked suspicion in the US. The reactor itself could not be used to make a nuclear bomb, our correspondent says, but weapons-grade plutonium could theoretically be extracted from its spent fuel. The nuclear issue is part of a wider strategic disagreement between Washington and Moscow over Iran. Russia has derided the idea that Iran belongs to what President Bush calls "the axis of evil" - and has even accused Washington of orchestrating an anti-Iranian campaign.
Maybe they think that nuclear energy is cleaner than burning fossil fuels. lol. What does Russia get out of this, btw? Cold hard cash? This is a bit of a shot across the bow, ehhh? There might be only one superpower, but Russia is trying to wiggle its fingers... Hulk Hogan style. Hell, this could be even weirder than the cold war. You at least have to assume that Russians give a damn about themselves. Their clients have friends that...
Really? They EVEN did that? Those Russians sure are good guys for accepting that $20 billion aid package...
Isn't it messed up that the US wants to control everything even what an old superpower does. I am betting Russia will still sell the Nuclear power plant(s).
You just don't hear or read an everyday teenager voice so much anti-us sentiments. Just wondering who is inflenciing your thoughts.
The reactor project for Iran will die. We will simply buy the Russians off, because their motivation is truly as simple as gaining cold hard cash. We will compensate the Russians *in some way* (and it should be interesting, whatever it turns out to be)... Iran - as its political situation currently stands, and it is fluid - will not be allowed to obtain that sort of tech. Not gonna happen. Thank God that the Russians are so poor, and so easily bought off. Azadre - I understand your youthful and nostalgic connection to your ancestral homeland, and Iran is certainly a lively and vibrant country/society. Your father apparently understands it, too, though. Listen to him - he is right. The current government in Iran is just flat evil, and you'd do well to keep in mind that of all the Americans that the mullahs want to kill, those Iranians who became Americans since the '79 Revolution are at the top of the list. Also keep in mind who is prepared to defend you against them. People like me. We will free the Iranian people. Eventually... It must be done before we can declare victory in the terror war, because Iranian society/culture is central to the global Islamic push (not to mention the current govt's actions there)...
Hear, hear Treeman. Great post. America has alot of powerful friends inside Iran, so that is why we should treat them differently than Iraq, even though Iran is arguably the most dangerous terrorist state. I think the current Iranian government will implode because of the democracy movement of the young people there. I have great hope that Iran will lead the Middle East out of this current acrimonious relationship with the West. The first step is to put the Mullahs in their place. They should be solely religious leaders- not political.
It is no accident/coincidence that post-9/11, the only pro-American demonstrations in the Middle East - the only ones anywhere in the region - took place in Iran. They were of course suppressed, but there it was... The Iranian populace wants the mullahs gone. We will help them achieve that end, though it may take quite a while, and the regime change may be far more subtle than that which Iraq is about to go through. The Iranian people may not really want our help right now, and why would they? Seeing as how we've bungled the "regime change option" in their neighbor's country, why should they trust us or have faith in us? We will have to score a victory there (Iraq) before the average Iranian citizen - who truly wants democracy and modernization, not 12th century Islamic rule - will even take us seriously. But when we do score that victory... Events will move quickly. The mullahs surely have surmised this by now, which would probably be why they have recently appeared to be concerned about Saddam's welfare. They surely realize that their own welfare is eventually and ultimately tied to his. They surely realize that they're next on the list. The idea of having a large, armored American Army occupying their neighbor (and positioned along their border, as we would likely be in such an outcome) in a victorious state must be very troubling to their leadership, to say the least. I only hope that we can exploit this strategic reality to its fullest in the time that we have left.
I agree totally. The people of countries like Iran and Russia are destined to be great friends of America if we treat them with respect. Iran is a democratic, economic, and cultural powerhouse waiting to happen if we let them grow on their terms. Iraq needs our help, and I wish you the best of luck in expediting their liberty. God speed.
Ah, but they are looking after themselves. Russia will, for the forseeable future, be unable to compete directly against the US. It looks right now as if they'll soon be running a distant 3rd to China, if present conditions continue. What, then, extends Russia's influence? 1. Ingratiating itself with nations that control important resources (check) 2. Undermining US security abroad, hopefully in the long-term inciting the US to isolationanism (check - to be explained below) 3. Procuring funds to assist its debt-ridden government. (check) About #2: Nuclear weapons represent the great equalizer in foreign policy. Russia could have conquered West Europe by land easily - if nukes hadn't been positioned in Germany. Etc. They key, of course, is maintaining a credible threat of use. Neither Russia nor the US really has a credible threat. Both know that neither is going to nuke the other. Hence, Russia's nukes don't ensure the measure of equality with the US that once was possible. However, what if wackos acquire MWD? Well, then nobody knows if classical deterrence theory will still apply. What if Khatami fades into the sunset, the Ayatollahs seize even more power than they already have, and Iran has a source of weapons grade platonium? Eeek. You perhaps have a regional power capable of deterring US influence in the area. To Russia's benefit. It's probably clever blackmail... but either way it's good for them and bad for us.
Hey treeman . I haven't seen you for a long while. Anyway I don't and never will support the Mullahs, nor the Shah. Instead I support http://www.iran-daneshjoo.org I had it my sig but some ass decided that I should "go back there" and I removed it. Well hope the armed forces is being good to you.
haven: Just keep in mind that to the Iranians, Russia is the "Little Satan". And the Russians are painfully aware of it (the Chechen rebellion was driven largely by Iranian interests). To the Russians, it really is all about cash. All we have to do is compensate them for the loss, and they will gladly back away from the deal. They have no great desire to give their sometimes enemies nukes, and they're not playing power games with us anymore. They're out of the proxy war business now. Azadre: Thanks, the military's treating me fairly well. They certainly have made my life more interesting... I hope everything works out well for the Iranian people. Peacefully.
