By Reza Shafa
The Center for Research and Studies at the Iranian regime’s foreign ministry recently drafted a report about negotiations between President Barack Obama’s administration and Russia over the missile defense shield and the regime’s nuclear program. The report expresses worries about the consequences of such negotiations. It reads in part:
“The American undersecretary of state has made a halt to the missile defense shield plan in Europe contingent upon Russia’s cooperation with the US when it comes to forcing Iran to stop its nuclear and missile programs. With this condition, the Obama administration wants to say that the goal of the missile shield is to counter the missile threat from Iran, and thus calm Russian worries.
“In view of the fact that Iran is not prepared to back down from its position, the comments from [undersecretary of state William] Burns indicate that the missile shield’s deployment is certain.”
The Iranian regime’s foreign ministry’s Center for Research and Studies goes on to say:
“In the US, the main stage for the game is shifting from the Middle East and Iraq to Central Asia under the pretext of Afghanistan’s issues. Russia’s reactions indicate that Moscow is aware of the shift in American foreign policy priorities. As such, triggering plans such as the rapid reaction force and the common missile defense, among others, which were on the backburner for the past 16 years, have their origins in this policy. Russia’s two billion dollar aid to Kyrgyzstan (in loans, grants, and investments) in return for the closure of the Manas Air Base can be interpreted in this context and is considered to be a sort of bribe.”
The clerical regime’s foreign ministry recommends in its report that the regime should also note the shift in American priorities and consider appropriate options to take advantage of it for its own ends.
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Reza Shafa is an expert on the Iranian regime's Intelligence networks, both in Iran and abroad. He has done extensive research on Iranian Ministry of Information and Security (MOIS) also known as VEVAK, Intelligence Office of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Qods Force among others. Currently he is a contributor to NCRI website.
