Difficult to trust the Russians though, they can supply Iran via Belarus or some other unsavoury ally, they can always help Iran build their own ''poor man's version'' within Iran. The KGB gangsters that rule Russia are in a win-win situation. If the West attacks Iran (however unlikely that is), oil prices go up, Russia wins. If Iran goes nuclear, Iran will blackmail other oil producers to raise prices, again, Russia wins.

thoroughly unimpeachable, rock solid, you can bet your life on it.

Russia is not selling S300 to the Iranians because it is blackmailing Israel into transferring them state of the UAV technology. As soon as the transfer is completed they will do another about face, with or without sanctions in place.

Russia rarely does something unless it gets something better in return. Russia has not stopped Iran's new large scale reactor from going online in August which could produce plutonium for 1 or 2 nukes per month. This reactor will be under IAEA supervision once it goes online and the reactors Israel bombed in past were not under IAEA or online.

headline/source-of-information to a previous incarnation of the current article where it was alluded to that the sale of the Russian S-300 s/a missile system to Iran was on hold. It turns out the previous headline was a mistake/BS.

Missles or no missles.

This is not accurate, according to some analysis. According to a Talkback in the headline article in HaAretz, (quote below-credit where credit due...) "...According to Le Figaro, the language of the Iran sanctions draft resolution floated last week by the Obama administration would not prohibit delivery of the long-contracted but repeatedly delayed Iranian purchase of Russian S-300 air defense systems. The draft prohibits the sale or transfer to Iran of "missiles or missile systems as defined for the purpose of the United Nations Register on Conventional Arms." "As Le Figaro points out, that register explicitly does not include ground-to-air missiles such as the S-300. Pretty clever, as far as stealth concessions to Russia go." - http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/ "I checked the language of the UN sanction resolution and the UN Register, and this comment is indeed correct." http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/leading-indicators/5580/leading-indicators-off-the-radar-news-roundup http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100521/159102912.html Ahhh, yes, the nuance of international diplomacy, & the gap between the headlines & reality... Don't you miss Khruschev pounding his shoe on the table? For a somewhat more humorous perspective on all this, search (available on the Internet) for 2 songs by the great singer/satirist Tom Lehrer, "National Brotherhood Week" & "Proliferation". Nothing has changed in 50 years...

My government embarrassingly also supply Iran with weapons. Operating instructions are in Zulu but a translation manual is included. Pull the pin in Zulu is "zama" but very often misprints occur and "zaba" is printed which in Zulu is pull the pin drop and await further instructions. The good news is that I print the manuals!

in the region allowed a nuclear program, while Iran is being sanctioned for it?

Lara, why don't we all first just disarm our nukes, melt them down and wait to see if Iran follows our example.

It was a question. I didn't know the answer to it, so i threw it out there. What i want to know is why Israel is allowed a nuclear program and Iran is not. Why don't both Iran and Israel get sanctioned for it. It is the same crime, shouldn't they get the same punishment? I just don't understand the double standard. If it was fair, either everyone would have nuclear programs or no one does.

Israel should be disarmed before any sanctions on Iran, Moreover there were no evidential proof that iran is processing nuclear weapons, however the sanctions are just quite motive for iran to develop such weapons..

the outdated S-300 systems. Iran for a long time has indicated it does not want the S-300 anymore. What Iran wants now is the upgraded and more capable S-400, or its money back. Guess what the Russians will do now, send Iran's money back or give them the S-400. My "money" is on the latter.

Just as you know why your mind is made up who needs to be disarmed, the independent U.N. also know why, or are you suggesting otherwise?

Everyone should be disarmed. I don't want to live in a world capable of neuclear wars. Do you? As for the U.N. They don't make the decisions. Over 40 US vetos on Israeli resolutions between 1972-2006. The U.S threatened Russia over an Iraq veto. I guess that explains why Israel isn't being sanctioned. Double standards.