Russia’s Iran Dilemma

Ariel Cohen / September 27, 2010

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently stated that there is no proof that Iran is building nuclear weapons. The Russian Federation has held this position for a long time. However, Lavrov apparently has not heard what his boss, president Dmitry Medvedev said—and did—on this matter.

Moscow voted in favor of all the four rounds of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on Iran aimed at pressuring the country to stop its nuclear weapons program. Russia also joined the ban on supplying arms and military aircraft to Iran. Significantly, the Kremlin reversed its position on selling the S-300 state-of-the-art air defense system to Tehran. However, Russia’s position is somewhat schizophrenic because the country is supposedly committed to advancing military cooperation with the Islamic Republic. (more…)