Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Russia, Iran Now Linking Up
Joseph FarahBy Joseph Farah
WorldNetDaily

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Despite centuries of antagonism, Russia and Iran have decided to enter into discussions to form an alliance to enhance their security cooperation, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Even while Russia has agreed to some United Nations sanctions over Iran's nuclear development program, discussions toward a strategic alliance have been under way for months already, according to informed sources.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (L) meets with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev in the Iranian capital Tehran on August 16.And more discussions about that relationship, and to address a range of threats, are to take place at the highest levels of government.

"This involves new threats such as international terrorism, drug trafficking and others," according to Russian Security Council director Nikolai Patrushev, who recently was in Tehran. "We have agreed on cooperation between our security council staffs."

While Russia has been a major weapons supplier and was the prime contractor for Iran's first nuclear energy reactor at Bushehr, the security arrangement would be the first high-level security cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. Such security cooperation would mean Russian assistance in getting Iran to join the six-member Asian Security group, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, which was established in 2001. In addition to Russia, members of the SCO are China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

"We have addressed regional cooperation and intend to consolidate regional security mainly under the aegis of the United Nations," Patrushev said.

The development of a strategic alliance comes as pressure is mounting for either Israel or the United States to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, which Westerners believe are being used to develop nuclear weapons.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin already has served notice on Western countries not to attack Iran's nuclear facilities.