“We’ve known about the potential for that system to be sold to Iran for several years and have accounted for it in all of our plans,” General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news conference on Thursday.
The United States for years has refused to rule out possible military action to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons if diplomacy fails. Dempsey said the military option would not be undermined by Russia’s decision this week to supply Iran with the sophisticated S-300 missiles.
“The military option that I owe the president to both encourage a diplomatic solution and if the diplomacy fails to ensure that Iran does not achieve a nuclear weapon is intact,” Dempsey said.
Moscow said progress in nuclear talks between Iran and world powers meant there was no longer a need for Russia to prohibit exporting the surface-to-air missiles to Tehran.
Israel condemned the move by Russia and Washington voiced concern, but Iran hailed the decision as a step towards “lasting security” in the region.
Russia could deliver the missile systems later this year, Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
Iran currently lacks advanced air defenses that could knock out modern fighter aircraft in the US or Israeli air forces. The S-300 is designed to detect and destroy ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft at low altitude.
Although the S-300 would provide a major improvement for Iran’s air defense network, it remains unclear if the missile would be a match for America’s stealthy F-22 fighters and bombers, experts say.
US blasted for not backing IMF reform
The emerging economies of the G-24 group sharply criticised the United States for holding up what they see as critical reforms of the International Monetary Fund. Speaking at the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank, the group said the failure after five years of the US Congress to ratify the reforms was undermining the effectiveness and legitimacy of the global crisis lender. “We reiterate our deep disappointment with the lack of progress in implementing the IMF quota and governance reforms agreed to in 2010 and strongly urge the US to complete ratification,” they said. “This remains an impediment to IMF credibility, legitimacy and effectiveness and has considerably delayed forward-looking commitments.”