Russia hints: No missile sale to Iran

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko was asked by reporters yesterday whether Russia had promised Israel it would not sell weapons such as the anti-aircraft S-300s missile system. His reply hinted that some change in the Russian stance was possible following Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's visit to Moscow earlier this week. "We have declared more than once at the very highest political level that we do not intend to supply those types of armaments to countries located in regions that are, to put it mildly, uneasy," Nesterenko said. "This is not in the interests of our country's policy or the interests of preserving stability in one region or another of the world."

Military sources say sophisticated S-300 missile systems could be used by Iran to defend military targets like the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant. That would make any military operation against these sites more difficult. Israel, the United States and other nations have pressured Russia not to sell such weapons to Iran, Syria or other nations that have threatened Israel.

In related news, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors are investigating whether a Russian scientist assisted Iran in conducting complex experiments to help it proceed with its nuclear weapons programme. European and US officials said that the IAEA released a lengthy document explaining how it is seeking information from the Russian scientist who they believe acted on his own accord as an adviser to the Iranians. It is the first occasion that the IAEA has suggested that Iran may have received help from foreign agents in developing its nuclear programme. Nuclear officials say that this latest document, written in Farsi, is an accumulation of evidence against Iran, showing it is working towards a nuclear weapon.

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