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Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union

Submitted on 2015-04-09 22:00:00

Comment on the issue of missile defence in Europe in the context of Iran’s nuclear programme


Comment by the Information and Press Department on the issue of missile defence in Europe in the context of Iran’s nuclear programme

We have noted the remarks by US and NATO officials indicating that the political framework deal agreed to recently in Lausanne on the final settlement of the situation regarding Iran’s nuclear programme provides no grounds for adjusting missile defence plans in Europe. As such, a State Department representative recently recalled that Washington is also “concerned” about Iran’s missile programme. An official NATO representative voiced a similar opinion, pointing to the “growing threat” that the proliferation of ballistic missiles posed to the alliance.

Such interpretations are clearly at odds with US President Barack Obama’s assurances in Prague in April 2009 about how the elimination of the “Iranian threat” would also eliminate the main reason for the deployment of a missile defence system in Europe. In reality, what we see is that, as definitive progress is emerging on Iran’s nuclear programme, Washington and Brussels are seeking to create new “grounds” for their missile defence programme. This only goes to show that references to the “Iranian threat” in this case are only a cover while the real goal of creating a missile defence system lies elsewhere.

Against this backdrop, the statements that “the missile defence programme is not directed against Russia” look even less convincing. The obvious reluctance of the US and NATO to take into account the positive trends in the settlement of Iran’s nuclear issue reaffirms our conclusion about the anti-Russian character of the missile defence system being deployed in Europe.

April 10, 2015


Source URL: https://russiaeu.ru/en/node/1703