Playing the Russian card against Iran?
By Olivier Guitta
I recently wrote an article for the Middle East Times, looking at the avenue of using Moscow to get to Tehran: something the Obama administration is looking at.
You can read my full article here.
Here is an excerpt:
By any measure, Iran is fast advancing its nuclear program. For the international community, time is of the essence. In light of the negative reactions from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and more importantly from Supreme Leader Ali Khameini who recently stated that U.S. President Barack Obama was on the same wrong path as former President George W. Bush, the U.S. president's overture to Tehran does not look promising.
Hence, the sanctions route seems the privileged alternative at this time. But in order for this option to be effective one large player needs to be on board; and that is Russia.
In light of this, the revelation that Obama had sent a 'secret' letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to incite Russia to be tougher on Iran against the promise of the United States giving up its missile defense system in Eastern Europe, is not surprising.
In fact, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged that he had told the Russians a year ago about that possibility. Nonetheless the fact that it was made official by the new incoming president carries more weight. But the Russians seem very much unfazed by the proposal.
