Saturday's Daily Briefing on Iran

DoctorZin reports, 12.3.2005:

Iran and Russia sign $1 bln defence deal - reports

Meg Clothier, Reuters:

Russia plans to sell more than $1 billion worth of tactical surface-to-air missiles and other defence hardware to Iran, media reported on Friday. ...

The Vedomosti business daily cited military sources as saying Iran would buy 29 TOR-M1 systems designed to bring down aircraft and guided missiles at low altitudes.. calling it the biggest sale of Russian defence hardware to Iran for about five years, said Moscow and Tehran had already signed the contract. ...

"Russia has long positioned itself as a major peace broker between Iran and the West -- and all of a sudden they are throwing this bombshell. It just does not make any sense," said the diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous. READ MORE

Here are a few other news items you may have missed.

• Iran Focus reported that the Supreme Commander of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) reaffirmed his force’s “solid support” for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
• Iran Focus reported that senior Iranian Ayatollah Jannati recently said that Iran owed its “victory” in the international stand-off over its suspected nuclear weapons program to its para-military Bassij.
• Caroline Glick, The Jerusalem Post reported the cost of the international communities incompetence on the Iran issue. She cited this blog.
• Amir Taheri, The New York Post reported that having tried to undermine the Iraqi attempt at building a democracy, the Arab League is sending signals that it may be changing the foredoomed policy it has pursued for almost three years.
• PakTribune reported that El Baradei said a meeting with A Q Khan is vital to solve Iran nuclear puzzle.
• Stratfor weighed in on an apparent shift in Israel's Iran policy.
• Dow Jones Newswires reported that German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier traveled to Moscow Saturday for talks with Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin on topics including Iran's disputed nuclear program.
• Ron Kampeas, JTA News reported that with time short on Iran nukes, AIPAC criticized the Bush approach.
• MSNBC reported that Israel carried out a successful test of its missile-interceptor system, an Arrow II missile downed an incoming rocket designed to simulate an Iranian Shahab-3.
• Gerald M. Steinberg, Jerusalem Issue Brief examined: Can Diplomacy Still Prevent Iran from Going Nuclear?
• And finally, Amy K. Rosenthal, The Weekly Standard argued that Italy is getting tough on Iran.