Putin: Iran Does Not Intend to Build Nuclear Arms
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James Joyner | Friday, February 18, 2005 |
Putin: Iran Does Not Intend to Build Nuclear Arms (Reuters)
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he was convinced Iran was not trying to build a nuclear weapon and that Russia would press ahead with nuclear cooperation with the Islamic Republic. Putin’s defense of Iran, where Russia is building a nuclear power plant, comes in the face of U.S. concerns that Tehran could be using Russian know-how to covertly build a nuclear weapon.
“The latest steps by Iran convince Russia that Iran indeed does not intend to produce nuclear weapons and we will continue to develop relations in all sectors, including peaceful atomic energy,” Putin told Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rohani. “We hope Iran will strictly stick to all agreements with Russia or the international community,” Putin said at the start of talks with Rohani at the Kremlin.
The United States has criticized Moscow for pressing ahead with construction of a 1,000-megawatt reactor at Bushehr in southern Iran.
A rather stupid move by Putin, methinks. I can’t imagine the financial gains from providing Iran with nuclear arms would offset the danger to Russia of a nuclear-armed Islamist state on its border–let alone the enmity of the United States.
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Interesting, Putin doesn't seem bothered that Iran could pass nuclear technology on to their Muslim buddies, fighting the Russians at home.