Iranian Missile Crisis?

The clock of destruction is ticking in the Middle East as the chain of events set off by the Cheney/Bush neocons ticks enexorably toward complete disaster. In the latest and most serious complication, Russia has opted to sell Tor air defense missile systems to Iran. Though Iran has every right to defend itself and every reason to feel threatened, Israel will see the arrival of these missiles in Iran as a threat in that they can no longer act with impunity in attacking Iran. That dramatically increases the chances that Israel will bomb Iran before the arrival of the missiles in September setting off a conflagration that may spread throughout the entire region.

As the US is already involved in fighting Israel's war we will no doubt be pulled even farther into the conflict. Our unwillingness to rein in Israel, much less to criticise it leaves no option for us to stay out of any conflict they initiate. Russia's interest here is in keeping oil prices high, and in seeing the US stretched to the limit and discredited as a major global player.

We can't stop the missile deal. The only way to avert this disaster is to take the heat off of Iran and to put the leash on our client state, Israel, which after all is entirely dependent on our financial underwriting.