Moscow – Russia urged the United States on Friday to scrap plans to station parts of a missile shield system in Europe now that Iran has reached an agreement with world powers to limit its nuclear program.
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Moscow has long opposed the plan, which it sees as a threat to its nuclear deterrence, and vowed to retaliate if it is carried out. Washington has previously assured Moscow the shield was meant as protection from “rogue” states like Iran, and not directed against Russia.
Since the July agreement under which Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for an easing of U.N., U.S. and European Union sanctions, Moscow has stepped up its rhetoric against the missile shield.
“We don’t see any reason to continue with the program, let alone at such an accelerated pace and with a clear aim at the Russian nuclear potential,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters.
In criticizing Washington for not cancelling the plan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week went as far as to say that U.S. President Barack Obama “was not telling the truth” in comments he made in 2009, linking the need for a missile shield to what he called the threat from Iran.
The latest spat threatens to worsen a deep chill in ties between Moscow and Washington, now at their lowest point since the Cold War because of the conflict in Ukraine.
It’s exactly the time to drop the shield!
Russia keeps attacking its neighbors and occupying their lands Chechnya, Georgia and Ukraine (still didn’t give back part of Finnnland, Japan and Germany);
Iran is about to get nukes (thanks to our idiotic tandem Obama-Kerry);
North Korea put Nukes for sale,-
Sure it’s a great time to wrap up the Shield!
perfect plan
lets load up Iran with missles and let’s reduce USA missles presence!!!
who is delusional?
Obama and Kerry, two great foreign policy minds, did not see this coming? Perhaps their ideological focus on getting a deal with Iran blinded them to any other facts and/or considerations?
If there will be no need to use the shield, as Russia says, then why do they mind if it stays? Do they think the US is stupid!? …oh wait.
lets see how the europeans react to this .they trust iran when it comes to israels safety but now that iran has icbm that can reach europe will they let.
Nobody in their right mind (if they have one) would trust Iran (or Russia). These type of countries have an established habit of revealing their aims and desires by “promising” not to do things! Putin said he wasn’t going to annex Crimea. Actually Iran doesn’t waste time making false denials. They keep up their torrent of threats and hatred.