Olmert Flies to Moscow, Wants to Prevent Sale of Air Defenses to Iran
Amid further deteriorating relations between his government and Russia, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert flew to Moscow to press for the cancellation of the proposed sale of a new Russian surface-to-air missile system to Iran. The S-300 missile system is “considered at least as sophisticated as the American Patriot” and would greatly increase Iran’s defensive capabilities. The proposed sale comes as a response to Israel’s threat of an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities–the Jewish state has been staunchly opposed to Iran’s nuclear ambitions and has stated it would attack preemptively if the Islamic state does not halt its programs. The new system would make a preemptive attack on Iran much more difficult as the missile defense “can simultaneously track 100 different targets and is capable of shooting down aircraft over a range of over 90 miles and altitudes of up to 90,000 feet.” Dan Goure, a Pentagon adviser, stated that the installation of a defense system like this in Iran could potentially prompt Israel to attack even sooner, before the system could be put into place.
Steven Craig
