Middle East File: Kremlin denies shipping S-300 air defense system to Tehran; Russia, NATO unload arms on Hezbollah-infiltrated Lebanese military

Yesterday, state-run Novosti reports, Russia's deputy foreign minister denied that his country has supplied S-300 air defense systems to strategic partner Iran. "I am very surprised by the fuss this story has caused recently," huffed Sergei Ryabkov, "I think this is due to a lack of interesting international news in the run-up to the holidays that many of our Western neighbors are celebrating. This causes an influx of interest in information, which has nothing to do with anything that is going on or will happen."

Last Sunday, the Islamic Republic News Agency--quoting Esmaeil Kosari, deputy chairman of the parliamentary commission on national security and foreign policy--asserted that Moscow has already begun delivery of components of the surface-to-air missile system to Tehran. Iran's Foreign Ministry neither denied nor confirmed the report.

Pictured above: In this TV snapshot taken on December 25 by Britain's Sky News, Iranian President/Tyrant Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivers an alternative Christmas message to rival Queen Elizabeth II's annual address. Presuming to speak for his Creator, Ahmadinejad declared: "If Jesus Christ were alive today, he would oppose ill-tempered and expansionist powers." Quite possibly, but the Son of God would also no doubt oppose the bloodthirsty religion of Islam and its deity, the Arabian moon god Allah.

Since the S-300 system is an effective defense for thwarting air strikes, during his October meeting with Russian "President" Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pressed his concern over a possible sale of this hardware to Tehran. "We dealt with weapons sales, or the possibility of weapons sales," Olmert was quoted as saying by the Moscow News Weekly after the Kremlin meeting. Olmert continued: "The highest levels of Russian government understand well the Israeli position and are aware of the ramifications that such sales would have on stability in the region."

The Kremlin was noncommital, seemingly leaving open a door for a future sale of the S-300 system. "We consider Israel a friendly country and we have good, sound relations although we were concerned by their military aide to Georgia," Sergei Karaganov, director of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy. He added: "We have underlined that we don't want weapons proliferation in Iran. But we are not interested in ostracizing Iran either."

Iran, according to the Novosti report above, recently took delivery of 29 Russian-made Tor-M1 air defense missile systems under the terms of a US$700 million contract inked in late 2005. The contract obligated Russia to train Iranian Tor-M1 specialists, including radar operators and crew commanders.

The advanced version of the S-300 missile system, called S-300PMU1 (SA-20 Gargoyle), boasts a range of more than 150 kilometers (100 miles) and can intercept ballistic missiles and aircraft at low and high altitudes. The latest development in Soviet air defense systems, reports Novosti in another story, is the S-400 Triumf (SA-21 Growler), with a range of 250 miles. The S-400 was first tested last year, is currently being deployed with air defense units according to Russian Air Force commander Colonel General Alexander Zelin, and will be fully deployed across 18 battalions between 2020 and 2025.

Meanwhile, Russia and NATO are in a race to rearm the failed state of Lebanon, the government of which is dominated by Hezbollah, the avowed purpose of which is to annihilate Israel, while the military of Lebanon is reportedly infiltrated by the same Iranian/Syrian-backed terrorist party. Following a December 16 meeting with Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov in Moscow, Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr announced that Russia will "donate" at a discount rate 10 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters to the Lebanese air force. In a troubling admission, Serdyukov stated: "The fighter deliveries will provide a fresh impetus to military cooperation between our two countries." The Kremlin media describes the state of the Lebanese air force as "deplorable" and possessing no airworthy craft among its US-built, 1950s-era Bell UH-1 Iroquois combat helicopters and Robinson R44 Raven II civilian helicopters. In 2007 Beirut received nine SA342L Gazelle helicopters from the United Arab Emirates.

At the same time the US Department of Defense is preparing to ship 66 M60 tanks to the Lebanese army by May 2009. "The M60 main battle tanks are capable of defeating enemy forces," explains the Lebanese media, "They are suitable as an assault weapon in offensive operations and can also be employed at night and under conditions of limited visibility." Next month, reports Azerbaijan's Trend News Agency, a German military delegation is slated to arrive in Beirut and hold discussions with pro-Hezbollah, anti-Israel President Michel Suleiman, at which time the Germans will offer to sell 50 Leopard tanks and to the Lebanese.

Since 2006 the USA has sold $410 million dollars of light weapons and vehicles to Beirut. Revealing their gross deficit of strategic acumen, Trend states: "Western countries believe that strengthening the Lebanese army is a key element to enhance political stability in Lebanon." In November Suleiman travelled to Tehran, where he requested "medium arms" from the Iranian dictatorship for the Lebanese army "to help combat terrorism and maintain national security."

In July, following its abortive coup d'etat against the "pro"-Western regime of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Hezbollah was awarded veto power over Lebanese cabinet decisions. Moreover, in 2006 The Telegraph revealed: "American officials believe the Lebanese military has been complicit in allowing arms shipments from Iran into Lebanon and that the large number of Shias in its ranks has led to it being infiltrated by Hezbollah."

Thus, we see the following geopolitical portrait emerge in the Middle East: 1) Lebanon's pro-terrorism president asks one of the world's most notorious state sponsors of terrorism for assistance in defeating home-grown terrorism, while 2) NATO member states equate "enhanced political stability" in the region with re-arming Lebanon's Hezbollah-infiltrated regular armed forces. Brilliant, just brilliant.