Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to send someone a message with his April 13 decree authorizing the delivery of S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran. But who?
The most striking aspect of the decree is its timing. Exactly a week before the Kremlin announced the decision, I argued that the S-300 sale — contracted in 2007 and suspended by former President Dmitry Medvedev by decree in 2010 — was likely to follow a final agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, under negotiation with a June deadline. In brief, I wrote, since Russia viewed Medvedev’s steps to halt the sale as a voluntary gesture to the United States, Israel and others trying to press Tehran to negotiate, there would be no reason for Moscow to continue to withhold the missiles after a final deal.