Associated Press,
The European Union has formally protested to Russia about its sale of sophisticated missiles to Iran, European and U.S. officials said Thursday, saying the diplomatic row reflected disarray on how to pressure Tehran to scale back its suspect nuclear program.
In a note to Russia's foreign ministry, the EU complained the deal sent a wrong signal at a time when Iran is increasingly isolated for harsh anti-Jewish rhetoric from its president, suspicions that it is aiding terrorists and its poor human rights record, the officials said.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the dispute with journalists, suggested that the EU making a formal protest was significant because it came at a time when the normally cautious bloc is wooing Russia as a strategic and economic partner.
The complaint underlined European dismay with the timing of the arms agreement because the sale cast doubt on where Russia stands as the West pushes to get the Tehran regime to give up uranium enrichment.
That process can produce material to make nuclear bombs, but Iran insists its only aim is to make its own fuel for nuclear reactors that would generate electricity. The U.S. government warns that Iran's real goal is to obtain atomic weapons.
A U.S. official said both Washington and the EU were caught by surprise by the arms deal, which was initially revealed by Russian news media early this month. The official said the deal would suggest to the Iranians there is no common will to confront them on nuclear and other issues.
Before the agreement by Moscow to sell Tor-M1 air defense missiles was made public, hopes were high that Iran would accept an EU proposal that would have Russia supply enriched uranium for Iranian reactors.
Support from Russia is seen as key for the international effort to force a compromise on Iran.
A new round of talks on the Iranian nuclear program is set for Wednesday, most likely in Vienna or Geneva between representatives of Iran and diplomats from Britain, France and Germany, representing the EU.
But European diplomats said Thursday that no agenda had been agreed on and characterized the meeting as at best “talks about talks” – an exploratory session to see if any common ground exits for negotiations.
State Department spokesman Adam Ereli recently said the U.S. government strongly opposed the missile sale and implied the Bush administration hoped to head off the deal. But Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said Russia will proceed with the sale.
Diplomats told AP that Robert Joseph, U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak in Vienna earlier this week in an effort to establish whether Moscow could be a partner in pressure Iran over the nuclear program.
Iranian officials have steadfastly rejected any initiative that would take enrichment outside their country, saying their nation has the right to have a full nuclear program.
Despite Tehran's assurances its program is peaceful, a growing number of nations fear it could misuse technology to produce weapons-grade uranium. Suspicions have risen since Iran's decision in August to end a freeze on uranium conversion – the last step before enrichment.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is pursuing a two-year-old probe of the program that started after Iran revealed it had kept some of its atomic facilities secret from inspectors.
A series of worrying findings by the IAEA have heightened concerns because of conclusions that some Iranian experiments and programs are either “dual-use” processes with both civilian and military applications or have no apparent function expect to make weapons.
