IMRA Newsletter
Iran Air Force on Alert, seeks Russia's Help to protect Nuke Sites
Geostrategy-Direct, www.geostrategy-direct.com
MOSCOW - On Dec. 22 2004
Iran's military was ordered on alert to defend the nation's nuclear sites. Iranian Army commander Gen. Mohammed Salimi said the air force had suspended exercises to focus on protecting the nuclear facilities.
"The air force has been ordered to protect the nuclear sites, using all its power," Salimi said. "The air force has temporarily suspended all its maneuvers and focused its means to patrol the sky. All our forces including land forces, anti-aircraft, radar tactics are protecting the nuclear sites, and an attack on them will not be simple."
Iran has been discussing obtaining aircraft from Russia.
The two countries are negotiating a contract for the sale of five Russian Tu-204-100 aircraft. Officials said the contract could be signed in 2005.
"I hope it will happen early next year," Russia's Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said.
On Dec. 17, Khristenko discussed a series of projects with Iranian Economy Minister Safdar Husseini in Moscow. Khristenko said the five Tu-204-100 aircraft could be part of a larger deal for Teheran.
Khristenko said Iran plans to use the Tu-204-100 aircraft as passenger jets. But other officials acknowledged that Iran has used similar model Tupelovs for military air transports.
In cooperation with Ukraine, Teheran has been coproducing the Iran-140 aircraft, based on the Antonov, for both civilian and military applications.
In December 2002, an Iran-140 aircraft filled with Defense Ministry officials and aerospace scientists crashed, leading to calls by parliament to suspend the program.
Russia has also sought to expand its nuclear ties with Iran. Russian Atomic Energy Agency Director Alexander Rumyantsev said Moscow could construct up to seven additional nuclear power plants in Iran at a cost of $10 billion. Russia has entered the last stage of construction of the Bushehr nuclear reactor.
"We believe that Iran needs such nuclear capabilities for peaceful application of nuclear technology," Rumyantsev said on Dec. 18.