Thanks to Russia — again — Iran looks to be a player on the world stage, this time moving to take the strategic high ground.  The Jerusalem Report, via the Independent Bank of Alabama's website,  reports that Russia has agreed to launch two Iranian spy satellites between April and June of this year.

The two satellites are named Mesbah and Sinah—1, and they will be launched from the Pletetsk site in the far north of Russia.  Just this past January, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov signed a directive authorizing his Defense Ministry to launch the satellites aboard Russian—built Kosmos—3M rockets.  According to Israeli experts,

"If the photographic resolution provided by the satellite is high, the Iranians could gather strategic intelligence that could help them considerably in a future attack on the state of Israel," former Mossad chief Danny Yatom told The Report.

The most important factor in US—Russian relations is this little tidbit:

A year ago, Iran announced it would launch a spy satellite from its own territory, using its own resources.  The Russians, however, reportedly persuaded Teheran to allow them to do the launching, arguing that an Iranian launch might be the last straw for the U.S., already highly critical of other Iranian strategic programs and threatening possible military action against Iran's drive for nuclear weapons.

In other words, Putin understands the serious nature of Iran's ambitions, and provides Russian cover to deter the US from taking action.  It's a good thing Condi understands the Russian mindset.  Perhaps they have been the object of the endgame all along.

Hat Tip: Dr. Mohamed Ibn Guadi of Strasbourg University

Doug Hanson   03—06—05