Iran signs military, nuclear accords with Russia

MOSCOW — Iran has signed military and nuclear cooperation agreements with Russia.

The accords, meant to be implemented over the next decade, have aroused U.S. concern as officials in Washington assert that the Bush administration does not plan to lift sanctions against Teheran. The United States had also warned Russia against signing new weapons accords with Iran.

Details of the accords were not disclosed. But diplomatic sources in Moscow told Middle East Newsline the accords would allow for huge weapons sales to Teheran as well as Russia's development of Iran's nuclear program after the completion of the Bushehr nuclear reactor in 2003.

The agreements were signed in Moscow by visiting Iranian President Mohammed Khatami and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The sources said Khatami asked Russia to build another five reactors after Bushehr was completed.

For his part, Putin said Moscow plans to sell defensive weapons to Teheran. But he would not elaborate.

"For economic reasons, Russia is interested in [military] cooperation," Putin said. "And the political reasons are that we believe that Iran must be an independent state capable of defending its national interests. Iran does not make any claims on weapons lying outside international norms and Russian obligations in this sphere and the Russian Federation does not intend to violate its international obligations."

In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher expressed concern over the new Iranian-Russian accords. Boucher said the United States was especially concerned over the transfer of Russian nuclear technology to Teheran. Such technology would undermine the Gulf region, the official said.

"It's up to the Russians and the Iranians to specify in more detail what they may or may not be doing," Boucher said. "But this is an issue of great concern to us, and particularly to this administration. We think it's particularly counterproductive for the Russians to sell things in their neighborhood in areas that affect us as well that might threaten us all."