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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran | |
| Debk: Russians reportedly leave Bushehr suddenly | |
| 2007-10-01 | |
The story appears to have originated with the ethnic Arabs who live near the reactor or who come in contact with its Russian staff. If true, DEBKAfile can offer three hypothetical scenarios to account for the Russians’ precipitate departure: 1. Another crisis has cropped up in the patchy Russian-Iranian dealings over the Bushehr reactor. This is unlikely because Russian president Vladimar Putin is due for a high-profile visit to Tehran on Oct. 16, when he plans to sign a series of nuclear accords with the Islamic Republic. Furthermore, Moscow, like Beijing, stands foursquare behind Iran’s efforts to delay harsher sanctions for its continued uranium enrichment. Only this week, the two powers gained Iran two to three months’ grace by forcing a delay in the UN Security Council session that was to have approved a third round of sanctions. 2. Moscow or Tehran has been tipped off that a US or Israeli attack is imminent on the Bushehr plant and Iran’s other nuclear installations and acted to whip Russian personnel out of harm’s way. 3. Moscow has learned that an Iranian pre-emptive attack is imminent against American targets in Iraq and the Persian Gulf and/or Israel. Aside from these hypothetical scenarios, DEBKAfile’s Iranian sources report that the Khorramshar News Agency keeps its ear to the ground on happenings in Bushehr, because it is claimed by Khuzistan separatists as Arab land which they will fight to liberate from Iranian “occupation.” | |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #22 Russia to pull out engineers in Iran if war begins http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=d0c3da65-7283-41fc-9318-77b82ca53834&MatchID1=4577&TeamID1=7&TeamID2=3&MatchType1=1&SeriesID This is from the HindustanTimes 18 Sept07 clip "Amid escalating talk of a US-led attack against Iran, Moscow is preparing an emergency blueprint to evacuate hundreds of Russian construction engineers who have been building the $1bn Bushehr atomic power plant in southern Iran —which would be a key target in the event of war...." cont. at link |
| Posted by: Linker 2007-10-01 23:43 |
| #21 Russians reportedly leave Bushehr suddenly Like ships from a sinking rat. "Target rich environment", indeed! |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-10-01 23:10 |
| #20 Can "knowledge" be stopped or destroyed? Yes, Joe. Happened many times over in the past. For he most part, through accidents, but in some cases, deliberately. But as Iran goes... that is not really the issue. There are countries that do have nuclear reactors, but have no desire to acquire a nuclear arsenal. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-10-01 22:47 |
| #19 COLD WAR > iff article is correct, Russ scientists would not suddenly leave en masse unless WAR/ATTACK IS IMMINENT; or A SERIOUS ACCIDENT = DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED [Red Sea Eruption?]. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-10-01 22:27 |
| #18 Also from FREEREPUBLIC > JPOST - IRAN [TRGC] threatening to attack up to 170 US targets in response to any Israeli or US attack agz Iran. IRGC > US interests-targets will be attacked anywhere in the ME + World, including any and all US NATIONALS IN THE ME. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-10-01 21:09 |
| #17 unfortunate, Shieldwolf, but the regime and it's Islamist brownshirts has been asking for it since '79 - time to Git Er Done before the pacifists/apologists have a chance? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-10-01 21:07 |
| #16 FREEREPUBLIC > IRAN IRREVERSIBLE? Article asks once [nuclear tech=bomb] knowledge is attained by Iran, can any amount of air bombing or other anti-nucdev methodisms stop the Iranian/Islamist Bomb??? Can "knowledge" be stopped or destroyed? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-10-01 21:05 |
| #15 I am seriously hoping that the Iranians do NOT do something incredibly stupid on October 12th and make the Israelis bust out the Sampson Option on them - things would get really nasty for a very long time over there if that were to happen. |
| Posted by: Shieldwolf 2007-10-01 20:43 |
| #14 Shouldn't we remember something about October 12th? |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2007-10-01 19:54 |
| #13 Hasn't Russia always played that game, Joe? |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-10-01 19:51 |
| #12 STRATEGYPAGE had indic that the Iranians, plus other major Russ arms customers, were dismayed and po'ed at the failure of Russ ADS, etal. to detect or stop the Israeli airtsrike of 9/6, and that the Russ $$$ cheated = deceived them. *"Nuclear reactor... which the Iranians cannot do themselves" > HHHHMMMMM, no, more correct to say that Iran = Islamism, like Russia-China, broadly desires the "fast track" to modernity and world power/influence. Lastly, iff resistance group claims are correct about Iran building underground nucdev, etc. facilities, THEN RUSS IS AWARE THAT IRAN WILL EVENTUALLY TURN ITS NUKE AGENDAS AGZ RUSSIA, SOONER THAN LATER. RUSS INTEREST is IRAN AGZ USA-WEST, NOT IRAN AGZ RUSSIA. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2007-10-01 19:41 |
| #11 From the end of LotR's link: Although the evidence of Libyan support of terrorism gave justification to the American side, U.S. communication skills abroad were limited. In the polarized world of that time, there was no room for an international "coalition against terror." The more things change, the more they stay the same. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-10-01 19:17 |
| #10 Possibly Russians realizing that the Islamists can't properly run the equipment, or that their equipment is crap and not trusting the lives of their scientists. Funny you should mention that. This link is to a translation of a Soviet document on the 1986 US air strike on Libya. Their conclusions (if I am remembering properly) were that the US exaggerated and that the Libyans were idiots not using the AD systems properly. |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2007-10-01 19:11 |
| #9 Iranian operations in Iraq is their spoiling attack. The Russians are supplying the nuclear reactor, something the Iranians can not do themselves. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-10-01 18:17 |
| #8 Scientists or engineers? In theory this is run of the mill civilian nuke engineering that shouldn't require special anything from the Russians. In truth, what kinds of skill sets are the Russians likely supplying here? |
| Posted by: Classical_Liberal 2007-10-01 17:58 |
| #7 I would like to think that there have been arguements over Russian anti-Air defences failing to spot Israeli attacks in Syria leading to a falling out. Possibly Russians realizing that the Islamists can't properly run the equipment, or that their equipment is crap and not trusting the lives of their scientists. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2007-10-01 17:49 |
| #6 how about a couple hundred suiceide bombers |
| Posted by: legolas 2007-10-01 17:40 |
| #5 3. Moscow has learned that an Iranian pre-emptive attack is imminent against American targets in Iraq and the Persian Gulf and/or Israel. Yeah, right. A pre-emptive attack with what? F-5's and F-14's? LOL! |
| Posted by: Brett 2007-10-01 17:28 |
| #4 Were they anxiously scanning the sky as they got in their cars? |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2007-10-01 16:25 |
| #3 Putin is due for a high-profile visit to Tehran on Oct. 16 What say ye? Target rich environment? I knew you would! ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-10-01 15:56 |
| #2 I'm thinkin...money. Or lack thereof. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-10-01 15:33 |
| #1 Could also be, "No Omar, not the red button!." |
| Posted by: SR-71 2007-10-01 15:29 |