Chutzpah: Admire Russia’s Arrogance

Some call this chutzpah, hutzpa, or hutzpah. Russia today said it was arming Iran with “only defensive weapons.”

But this is the same Russia and the same Russians headed by Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin; former president, KGB man and and probably the future President of Russia, who are violently opposed to U.S. defensive weapons in Europe.

We say “violently opposed” because within hours of Barack Obama’s election last November Russia’s President Medvedev said he’d position nuclear-armed Iskander missiles opposite Eastern Europe unless the U.S. halted its missile defense plans in Europe.

Iskander’s are not defensive at all.  In fact, rarely if ever are nuclear missiles nuclear tipped.

So Russia is now arming Iran while Iran builds a better nuclear program and better missiles.  And Russia blocks U.N. sancions against Iran.

 
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility.(AFP/File/Atta Kenare)

The Russian arms agency Rosoboronexport said in a statement today 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.

The Shahab-3 is Iran’s most advanced and longest-range nuclear-capable missile.  It can reach Israel and Europe.

“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.

 
Russia’s A-300 is going into Iran

In Europe, the U.S., NATO, Poland and the Czech Republic are working toward a missile defense system that would shoot down Iran’s nuclear tipped missiles as they fly into Europe.

The U.S. missile defense system is not nuclear-armed.  It works by smashing a small vehicle into the nuclear warhead of a agressor.  This is called kinetic kill or hit-to-kill.

U.S. missile defense, in Europe or anywhere else, is no threat to Russia or anyone else.  Like a defensive basketball or football player, missile defense is designed and used to block destructive attacking missiles from reaching their goals.

So we admire the fact that what is good for Russia and Iran is bad for Europe, the U.S. and Israel.

Chutzpah. Russia arrogance and gall.  Russians must think we are really stupid.

Related:
Russia, Obama and the Strategic Chess Tournament

Iran Ducks UN With Venezuela, Missiles, Terrorists, Syria

Russia starts missile delivery to Iran

Iran, Missiles, Nuclear Efforts: China, Russia on One Side; U.S. Israel On the Other

 

Russia’s “Iskander” missile system on display at a military exhibition in the Siberian town of Nizhny Tagil in 2005. President Dmitry Medvedev has said Russia will place short-range missile systems on the EU’s eastern border to counter planned US missile defence installations in Eastern Europe.  He later backed down.(AFP/VEDOMOSTI/File/Evgeny Stetsko)

 

 

 

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visits a ballistic missile site in Russia in October. Russia is developing missiles designed to avoid being hit by space-based missile defence systems that could be deployed by the United States, a top Russian general was quoted as saying.(AFP/Pool/File/Dmitry Astakhov)