Russian SAMs to Iran

You could see this one coming — hot on your six:

After his recent absence, President Putin is back in business, now selling Russia’s advanced S-300 air-defense system to Iran. It’s a transaction that will shake up the Middle East.

Previously, Russia had yielded to American pressure not to supply the S-300 surface-to-air system to Iran, but Putin has apparently decided to roll the dice.

Some will say that this isn’t a big deal, pointing out that Russia has already provided this same weapons system to Egypt. But that’s a false comparison. Where Egypt’s defense posture, at least currently, is focused almost entirely on counterterrorism, Iran’s S-300 interest is far more aggressive. That’s because the S-300 affords Iran both a deterrent and a practical confidence that it could defeat a U.S.-Israeli military attack on its nuclear infrastructure.

I doubt the S-300 could actually defeat a U.S.-Israeli military attack, but it would certainly complicate things. However, getting the new missiles delivered and getting the crews trained — these things take time, if you hear what I’m saying.