By Vestnik Kavkaza
Radio Free Europe reported today that Israel is concerned about the rapprochement between Russia and Iran. According to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Russia's decision to sell missiles to Tehran will only increase aggression in the region and destabilize the situation in the Middle East.
The fact that the Western countries cannot reach a unanimous verdict on what should be the final agreement on Tehran's nuclear program gives them an opportunity to soften their own inadequacy. This time the decision of a strategic partnership between Russia and Iran became such an occasion. However, despite the claims of the West, neither Moscow nor Tehran are going to deviate from their own course and assign their interests in favor of the international community, whose plans, which at first glance are peaceful, in fact are not.
The fact that the US and the EU cannot decide what is a priority for them, whether to gain control of Iran or to become partners with the state on an equal basis, is in fact the only reason that an agreement on Iran's nuclear program cannot be taken unanimously and fully. Obama has time though, against a background of domestic political controversy in the United States to get an ally in the Middle East, and Merkel, in her turn, to convince the rest of the EU member states that lifting the sanctions against Iran will be more useful than armed conflict. But the indecision of the West in no way affects the fact that countries like Russia and Iran continue to follow their political courses, despite the threats of the world community.
The Washington Times today published an article reporting that the rapprochement between Russia and Iran won’t affect the nuclear talks. Torn by divisions, the US Congress continues to insist that states like Iran and Russia cannot accept any threat to peace, despite the strategic partnership. The Obama administration is committed to signing an agreement on Tehran's nuclear program no later than 30 June of the current year. However, the balance of power in world politics is changing rapidly every day and not in favor of the Western powers. Of course, it guards the US, but hoping for a partnership with Saudi Arabia, and the strong support of the EU, the country expects that the agreement will be signed on favorable terms.
So whether it will happen still remains unknown. Do not forget that even though the Iranian leadership wants to get rid of the burden imposed by sanctions, they still don't forget about their own interests in the region and around the world. And if the country could enlist the support of Russia and some other countries, the dependence on American capital won’t be so acute, and the economy will be able to get a very significant boost, both through oil exports and through strategic partnerships.
The business publication Forbes talks today about whether Europe will manage to escape from the influence of Russia in the near future. Less is being written in the Western press about the armed conflict in Ukraine, and at the moment it is recalled only due to the fact that it is associated with the energy problems in Europe, which is trying to get out of dependence on Russian gas, citing the Ukrainian conflict. Some Western analysts have come to believe that the Ukrainian question is being used by the US to weaken the two regions which are in direct competition for the country - Russia and the EU. If Europe refuses to import Russian gas, the US is able to supply LNG to the European community, thereby stabilizing its economy. However, if this option would still be unacceptable for the community and it gets new energy sources, such as from Iran, the US would be in an economic vacuum for some time, as long as a new strategic plan has not been coined.
Despite the tough economic sanctions against Russia, as well as the escalation of tensions in the region, Europe understands that the ability to get away from cooperation with Moscow has actually been reduced to a minimum. Given the fact that even China, whose leadership is very cautious in their decisions, seeks partnerships with Russia, the EU has no other option than to reconsider its policy toward the Russian state.
