"Attack Iran and you attack Russia "

[Prada]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IJ26Ak06.html

The barely reported highlight of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Tehran for the Caspian Sea summit last week was a key face-to-face meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A high-level diplomatic source in Tehran tells Asia Times Online that essentially Putin and the Supreme Leader have agreed on a plan to nullify the George W Bush administration's relentless drive towards launching a preemptive attack, perhaps a tactical nuclear

strike, against Iran. An American attack on Iran will be viewed by Moscow as an attack on Russia.

But then, as if this were not enough of a political bombshell, came the abrupt resignation of Ali Larijani as top Iranian nuclear negotiator. Early this week in Rome, Larijani told the IRNA news agency that "Iran's nuclear policies are stable and will not change with the replacement of the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council [SNSC]." Larijani will keep attending SNSC meetings, now as a representative of the Supreme Leader. He even took time to remind the West that in the Islamic Republic all key decisions regarding the civilian nuclear program are made by the Supreme Leader. Larijani actually went to Rome to meet with the European Union's Javier Solana alongside Iran's new negotiator, Saeed Jalili, a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), just like President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

In itself, the Putin-Khamenei meeting was extraordinary, because the Supreme Leader rarely receives foreign statesmen for closed talks, even one as crucial as Putin. The Russian president, according to the diplomatic source, told the Supreme Leader he may hold the ultimate solution regarding the endlessly controversial Iranian nuclear dossier. According to IRNA, the Supreme Leader, after stressing that the Iranian civilian nuclear program will continue unabated, said. "We will ponder your words and proposal."

Larijani himself had told the Iranian media that Putin had a "special plan" and the Supreme Leader observed that the plan was "ponderable". The problem is that Ahmadinejad publicly denied the Russians had volunteered a new plan.

Iranian hawks close to Ahmadinejad are spinning that Putin's proposal involves Iran temporarily suspending uranium enrichment in exchange for no more United Nations sanctions. That's essentially what International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohammad ElBaradei has been working on all along. The key issue is what - in practical terms - will Iran get in return. Obviously it's not the EU's Solana who will have the answer. But as far as Russia is concerned, strategically nothing will appease it except a political/diplomatic solution for the Iranian nuclear dossier.

US Vice President Dick Cheney - who even Senator Hillary Clinton now refers to as Darth Vader - must be foaming at the mouth; but the fact is that after the Caspian summit, Iran and Russia are officially entangled in a strategic partnership. World War III, for them, is definitely not on the cards.

Let's read from the same script
The apparent internal controversy on how exactly Putin and the Supreme Leader are on the same wavelength belies a serious rift in the higher spheres of the Islamic Republic. The replacement of Larijani, a realist hawk, by Jalili, an unknown quantity with an even more hawkish background, might spell an Ahmadinejad victory. It's not that simple.

The powerful Ali Akbar Velayati, the diplomatic adviser to the Supreme Leader, said he didn't like the replacement one bit. Even worse: regarding the appalling record of the Ahmadinejad presidency when it comes to the economy, all-out criticism is now the norm. Another former nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rowhani, told the Etemad-e Melli newspaper, "The effects of the [UN] sanctions are visible. Our situation gets worse day by day."

Ahmadinejad for the past two months has been placing his former IRGC brothers-in-arms in key posts, like the presidency of the central bank and the Oil, Industry and Interior ministries. Internal repression is rife. On Sunday, hundreds of students protested at the Amir-Kabir University in Tehran, calling for "Death to the dictator".

The wily, ultimate pragmatist Hashemi Rafsanjani, now leader of the Council of Experts and in practice a much more powerful figure than Ahmadinejad, took no time to publicly reflect that "we can't bend people's thoughts with dictatorial regimes".

This week, the Supreme Leader himself intervened, saying, "I approve of this government, but this does not mean that I approve of everything they do." Under the currently explosive circumstances, this also amounts to a political bombshell.

As if anyone needed to be reminded, the buck - or rial - stops with the Supreme Leader, whose last wish on earth is to furnish a pretext for the Bush administration to launch World War III. If Ahmadinejad now deviates from a carefully crafted strategic script, the Supreme Leader may simply get rid of him.

[Prada]

http://www.nowpublic.com/politics/cr...-attack-russia

Any attack by the USA, Britain, or France on Iran will now constitute an attack on Russia, sources say. George Bush's flippant conversation about WW111 is now actually a terrifying possibility and something all Americans must carefully consider as they stand by and cheer on their deluded Commander in Chief and his cadré of fools as he moves the USA inexorably towards the brink of an international confrontation it cannot win.

Though most Americans believe it is President Ahmedinejad of Iran who controls the levers of power in the Islamic Republic, they have been sorely misinformed. The real power in Iran is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his quiet meeting, barely reported, with Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the Caspian Sea Summit last week signals an end to America's free hand with military adventurism in the region. Highly placed diplomatic sources say a plan was agreed upon by the two leaders to nullify America's drive to attack and control Iran.

Whereas America has had an easy time attacking countries with no ability to defend themselves, that will not be the case if the Whitehouse is foolish enough to spark an attack on Iran. Russia has nuclear parity with the USA, a new defense pact with China, and some real strategic advantages in Asia and the Middle East, and the game of brinksmanship by the Whitehouse will inevitably end in the USA being humbled.

[Kärnfysikern]

I would like to hear this from Putins own mouth before I belive it. It would be madness for Russia to state such a thing, what can they possibly gain

[Prada]

I would like to hear this from Putins own mouth before I belive it. It would be madness for Russia to state such a thing, what can they possibly gain

His attitudes seems to reflect this. Of course they have many geopolitical reason for keeping US out of Iran and the Caspian sea as much as possible.

[Amorphic]

i would be very suprised to see any kind of action against iran although i wouldnt rule it out entirely

[Prada]

[Roidal]

Lol @ Putin, loud mouth when he goes to Iran, nice and sweet when he meets Bush.

[gixxerboy1]

I would like to hear this from Putins own mouth before I belive it. It would be madness for Russia to state such a thing, what can they possibly gain

Russia is trying to flex its might again. With their bomber runs and building their military again. Also they are trying to fight the US on the missile defence system. I believe he said it. I think we are going to head into another cold war.

[Kärnfysikern]

well I totaly support Russia on the missile defence. Its just stupid of USA to try and put a missile defence on former soviet territory. Its totaly unnessecary and will do nothing at all for the security of europe. It will only increase tension betwen russia and the us.

How would the US react if russia started building missile shields in mexico and canada?

[gixxerboy1]

well I totaly support Russia on the missile defence. Its just stupid of USA to try and put a missile defence on former soviet territory. Its totaly unnessecary and will do nothing at all for the security of europe. It will only increase tension betwen russia and the us.

How would the US react if russia started building missile shields in mexico and canada?

I thought the site that Russia was complaining about was in Poland. Unless your considering that form territory. I dont know why that site was picked. Is that the direction a missile would fly if launched from Iran, China. or North Korea? If Russia built one in North America it would be from fear of Us attacking them. Which isnt an issue. I dont think this defence system is to defend us from Russia.

But i do understand both points

[Kärnfysikern]

I thought the site that Russia was complaining about was in Poland. Unless your considering that form territory. I dont know why that site was picked. Is that the direction a missile would fly if launched from Iran, China. or North Korea? If Russia built one in North America it would be from fear of Us attacking them. Which isnt an issue. I dont think this defence system is to defend us from Russia.

But i do understand both points

Its a claim it will defend against missiles from iran blablabla. But if anything its a big spit in russias face. Im no big russia fan. But I dont se the point in intentionaly trying to piss russia of in some new "america has a bigger cock than russia" game.

I agree that the point cant be to protect against russia because there is nothing in the world that can protect against a russian(or chinese, french, british or american) full scale launch.

American-russian peace cooperating had a good start when the cold war ended with the agreement to burn russian weapons grade plutonium in american reactors and the american aid in securing russian nuclear sites. To bad it has gone down hill again and both sides are to blame. To bad Putin has such die hard support among russians.

[Prada]

^^^actually that is why I prefer a bipolar world, they sort of keep each other in check. That is exactly what Putin is trying to restore. I dont think they will tolerate an American invasion of Iran, at the least they will block off the Caspian. Which also happens to be partially th reason why I think the US will solely utilize airstrikes. Therefore anywhere america decides to alienate nations, where Russia has an interest it will only naturally support it. Just like in the 'ol days.

[Chuck_R]

We need to take Ahmadinejad out with extreme force, that's the only thing the middle east and Putin respect.