Russians Helping Iran Create Europe Missile Threat: British Paper

An interesting article.
According to "anonymous 'Western intelligence officials'":

Former members of the Russian military have been secretly helping Iran obtain the technology needed to make missiles capable of hitting European capitals, a British newspaper claimed on Sunday.

Going on to further assert:

the Russians were go-betweens as part of a multi-million-pound (dollar, euro) deal they negotiated between Iran and North Korea in 2003.

"It has enabled Teheran to receive regular clandestine shipments of top secret missile technology, believed to be channelled through Russia," the newspaper reported in a front-page article.

Is there any doubt to this? Is the story and report valid?
Incidentally, the report/story comes out at the same time that:

The allegations came after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice feuded openly with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov over Iran's nuclear programme while on a brief trip to Moscow on Saturday.

The article also emerged as Rice prepared to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London later Sunday.

Russians Helping Iran Create Europe Missile Threat: British Paper

Very interesting, indeed.

Interestingly, and given another slant and alternate perspective to this Iranian situation, Souljah reports that Israel, Iran, and the US: Nuclear War, Here We Come, and stumason reports that the US Clashes with Russia over Irans Nuclear Programme

Thoughts or comments?





seekerof

[edit on 18-10-2005 by Seekerof]

Good article seeker but i dont think Russians need to help us anymore with missile tech, we could just increase the range of Shahab-3B and even use our own satelite to track down targets.

Thanks for responding, NR.
Much appreciated.

I noticed that you mentioned the Shahab-3B, but what of the Shahab-4, which would indicate the Iranian-North Korean connection or the transference of missile technology from North Korea to Iran? I do believe that it is this particular missile system that has Europe concerned.
FAS: Shahab-4

The Iranian Shahab-4 missile is believed to be a derivation of the 1,350-1,500 kilometer range North Korean No-dong missile delivering a 1,000-760 kg warhead and the follow on Taep'o-dong-1/Paeutusan-1 launch vehicles. The first indications of the development of the Shahab-4 came in The Washington Times on September 11, 1997 when it stated the following: "The Shahab-3 and 4 programs appear to be getting considerable assistance from China and Russia."(1)

seekerof

[edit on 18-10-2005 by Seekerof]

Originally posted by Seekerof
Thanks for responding, NR.
Much appreciated.

I noticed that you mentioned the Shahab-3B, but what of the Shahab-4, which would indicate the Iranian-North Korean connection or the transference of missile technology from North Korea to Iran? I do believe that it is this particular missile system that has Europe concerned.
FAS: Shahab-4

The Iranian Shahab-4 missile is believed to be a derivation of the 1,350-1,500 kilometer range North Korean No-dong missile delivering a 1,000-760 kg warhead and the follow on Taep'o-dong-1/Paeutusan-1 launch vehicles. The first indications of the development of the Shahab-4 came in The Washington Times on September 11, 1997 when it stated the following: "The Shahab-3 and 4 programs appear to be getting considerable assistance from China and Russia."(1)

seekerof

[edit on 18-10-2005 by Seekerof]

np bro glad to help, as for Shahab-4 we cant go for those names no more because U.N has forbidden us to do so, so it will most likely be out of Shahab-3 again but with different letter like C,D,E etc.... Next Shahab will most likely attack its target from our satelite Sina-1 which will be launched this year.

Seekerof, the Russions have already profusely denied that report:

www.mosnews.com...

And since such reportings [since 1997, as indicated by my FAS link and quoted section] of Russia [and China, along with North Korea and Pakistan] helping Iran build missiles that can be nuclear equipped, is there any doubt that Russia would not deny such involvement, TrueAmerican?

It's a typical diplomatic maneuver that even the US is not exempt from doing: denial, despite what intelligence facts indicate.





seekerof

[edit on 18-10-2005 by Seekerof]

Originally posted by Seekerof
And since such reportings [since 1997, as indicated by my FAS link and quoted section] of Russia [and China, along with North Korea and Pakistan] helping Iran build missiles that can be nuclear equipped, is there any doubt that Russia would not deny such involvement, TrueAmerican?

It's a typical diplomatic maneuver that even the US is not exempt from doing: denial, despite what intelligence facts indicate.

Lol, easy there, Seeker. Was just bringing that to you so you knew there was a response. I saw that story on the orginal source a couple days ago, but decided against bringing it here, questioning it's credibility. Of course I don't question that Russia would deny such involvement! You forget, I've read almost 2 years of your posts. ( I was a lurker here for a very long time before registering.)

And as a side note, it's the same reason I didn't bring this story here, because I really question it's credibility. You seen anything else on this?

UNITED STATES CAUGHT IN IRAQ CAR-BOMBING

[edit on 18-10-2005 by TrueAmerican]

putin might still think its the cold war I would tend to think they did help them in some form, guess we will see another cold war! woohoo!

Hmmm I don't know what to make of this, only that I'm near enough to a European capital to go with it if it gets nuked. However, I don't think it's inconcievable that the Russian government is honestly not doing it, but that prehaps one or two unscroupulous individuals are selling state secrets under the table for a bit of cash to retire on. I get the impression that corruption is rife over in Russia since the fall of the USSR, and to be fair it'd only take a couple of sufficiently influential people not throwing straight dice to land Russia's government as a whole in hot water regarding this.

what do we have to worry in europe for?
not like iran would gain anything apart from being flattend
the only thing Iran can do is use it as a detturent and retaliation against attacks.