Russia’s Iran dilemma
Will Moscow yield to Israeli demands to impose sanctions on Iran?
Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, is in Moscow hoping to push Russia to impose crippling sanctions on Iran, and prevent delivery of an advanced air defence system to Tehran.
Netanyahu won assurances that Russia will ‘hold off’ on supplying Iran with advanced S-300 air defence missiles, but it is still unlikely Russia will back sanctions against Iran.
Is it in Russia’s best interest to yield to Israeli demands? What can Moscow get in return, and could the Kremlin afford souring relations with neighbouring Iran? What is at stake for Moscow?
Inside Story discusses with guests: Aleksandr Pikaev, a political analyst from the Institute for World Economy and International Relations, Raanan Gissin, an analyst specialising in the Arab-Israeli conflict and a former senior adviser to Ariel Sharon, and Richard Weitz, the director of the centre for political-military analysis at Hudson Institute.
This edition of Inside Story aired from Tuesday, February 16, 2010.