11/13/2002: IRANIAN OPPOSITION ALLEGES RUSSIAN MISSILE AID TO IRAN On 12 November 2002, The Telegraph reported that the National Council
of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has alleged that Russia has enabled Iran to extend
the range of its ballistic missiles. According to NCRI, Russian and North Korean
engineers have participated in ballistic missile test launches from a range in
central Iran. Furthermore, according to NCRI, the new Shehab-4 missile is based
on the Soviet R-12 ballistic missile [NATO designation SS-4 'Sandal'], and uses
Russian technologies, as well as Russian-manufactured high-grade steel and special
alloys. An unspecified Russian company has also been alleged to supply $7
million of SS-4 parts to Iran. The Telegraph also reported that US
intelligence services believe Russian assistance includes the provision of rocket engines
for a longer-ranged Shehab-3 variant. [Phillip Sherwell, "Russia Adds Range To Iran's Latest
Missiles," The Telegraph, 12 November 2002; in RANSAC Nuclear News, 13
November 2002.] {Entered 11/26/2002 MJ}
6/19/2002: RUSSIA SUSPECTED OF FUNNELING TECHNOLOGIES THROUGH CHINA AND NORTH
KOREA For more information, please see
the 6/19/2002 entry in the Russia: Nuclear
Exports to Iran: Developments section. {Entered 7/26/2002 MJ)
5/29/2002: US PROVIDED RUSSIA WITH
INTELLIGENCE ON PROLIFERATION For more information, please see
the 5/29/2002 entry in the Russia: Nuclear
Exports to Iran: Developments section. {Entered 7/26/2002 MJ)
5/25/2002: RUSSIAN SCIENTIST QUESTIONS IRANIAN MISSILE ACCURACY In an article in Izvestiya
on 25 May 2002, the Deputy General Designer of the
Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, Lev Solomonov,
stated that he does not believe that Iran can develop indigenously an accurate
targeting system for its Shehab-3 ballistic missile. According to Solomonov,
whose institute designed the Topol-M
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) [NATO
designation SS-27 'Sickle'; START I designation RS-12M Variant 2], Iran likely
would need outside assistance to master the complex scientific, industrial, and
technological capabilities that contribute to ballistic missile strike accuracy.
The highly advanced technical nature of developing a strong targeting system
contrasts with the relatively straightforward technology required to produce the
actual Shehab-3 missiles. The Shehab-3 has a range of 1,300 kilometers (808
miles) and
is based upon a North Korean modification of the Russian-produced
R-11 missile [NATO designation
SS-1b 'Scud'].
[Dmitriy Safonov, "Iran ignoriruyet
rossiysko-amerikanskiye razoruzhencheskiye initsiativy," Izvestiya, 25
May 2002, p. 6; in Integrum
Techno,
http://www.integrum.com.]
{Entered 11/6/2002 EMC}
4/4/2002: RUSSIAN DEFENSE, FOREIGN MINISTERS DENY DUAL-USE EXPORTS TO IRAN On 4 April 2002 Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov denied reports about
Russian supplies of nuclear and missile technology to Iran. He made the denial
while on a visit to Greece. Ivanov said the reports of technology transfers were
a "myth" and that despite numerous allegations, no facts were ever produced to
confirm such cooperation between Russia and Iran.[1] One day later, in the
course of a press conference following talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov similarly denied US allegations of
transfers of dual-use materials or technologies from Russia to Iran for use in
nuclear weapon and missile programs, calling such allegations "groundless."
According to Ivanov, Russia's cooperation with Iran
is taking place in
accordance with international agreements and with full transparency.[2] Sources: [1] Interfax, 4 April 2002; in "Russia: Defense Minister denies nuclear missile
technology supplied to Iran," FBIS Document CEP20020404000163. [2]"Foreign Minister Denies Russia Provided Dual-Use Goods to Iran," Interfax, 5
April 2002; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe,
http://www.lexis-nexis.com. {Entered
5/24/2002 MJ}
2/22/2002: CIA REPORT POINTS TO RUSSIAN MISSILE ASSISTANCE TO IRAN An unclassified CIA report
released on 22 February 2002 indicated that Russian organizations continued to
supply missile-related technologies, expertise, and equipment to Iran. The
report suggested that Iran's efforts to develop new variants of the Shehab
ballistic missile combined with continuing cooperation with Russian firms,
point to a desire to develop long-range ballistic missile capability. Russian
assistance may also increase Iran's indigenous missile design and production
capabilities and lessen its dependence on external assistance. ["Unclassified Report to Congress on the Acquisition of Technology Relating to
Weapons of Mass Destruction and Advanced Conventional Munitions, 1 January
Through 30 June 2001," Central Intelligence Agency Web Site,
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/bian/bian_jan_2002.htm, 22 February
2002.] {Entered 5/23/2002 MJ}
1/13/2002: FORMER SOVIET SCIENTISTS ASSISTED IRAN IN
MISSILE DEVELOPMENT The Washington Post reported on 13 January
2002 that throughout the 1990s engineers and scientists from the former Soviet
Union traveled to Iran to provide
technological information for missile development.[1] Vadim Vorobey, an
expert on composite materials at the Moscow Aviation Institute, reported in an interview with
the Washington Post that scientists and
engineers were invited to Iran to give lectures at Iranian universities, while
others were offered contracts for specific projects. Vorobey traveled to
Iran numerous times between 1996 and 2000 to give lectures and to work for the
Iranian Energy Ministry on projects related to missile development. His
travels were arranged officially through the Russian Foreign Ministry and were
not opposed by the Russian government. Vorobey continued his work until
2000, when he was finally forbidden to provide any more services to Iran.[2] According to Vorobey, Iran's missile program was very
disorganized and its capabilities remained at a very basic level. In his
opinion, scientists were brought to Iran to give the false impression that
Iran was achieving advanced missile capabilities. Vorobey was very
doubtful that Iran could obtain an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
in the next 10 years. He also claimed that he and others only
provided basic information on missile technology and stopped short of giving
secret information prohibited by international regimes.[1]
Sources: [1] Michael Dobbs, "A Story of Iran's
Quest for Power: A Scientist Details the Role of Russia," Washington
Post, 13 January 2002, p. A1. [2] Michael Dobbs, "Collapse of
Soviet Union Proved Boon to Iranian Missile Program," Washington Post, 13 January 2002, p. A19. {Entered 2/18/02 RG}
10/1/2001: IRANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER VISITS MOSCOW AND SIGNS
AGREEMENT ON MILITARY-TECHNICAL COOPERATION On 1 October 2001, Iranian Minister of Defense Ali
Shamkhani arrived in Moscow on a four-day official visit, during the course of
which both parties signed a framework agreement on military-technical
cooperation.[1] Prior
to the summit, Shamkhani visited several defense enterprises, where he was
shown a wide-ranging selection of arms.[2] Kommersant reported that Iran is
planning primarily to
purchase tactical air defense weapons, tactical strike aircraft and infantry
fighting vehicles.[3] However, Tehran is also
displaying great interest in high-tech missile systems such as Iskander short-range ballistic missile,
the S-300 long-range air defense missile system, and supersonic antiship missiles
such as Moskit [NATO designation SS-N-22 'Sunburn'] and Yakhont [NATO
designation SS-NX-26].[4,5] At Shamkhani's request, Russia conducted a number of demonstrations at the
Kapustin Yar
testing range,
including S-300V and S-300PMU air defense missile systems.[1] Anticipating that the United States and
several other nations might strongly object to the sale of such weapons, Russian officials emphasized that
they only intend to sell items of an exclusively defensive nature.[5] The signed framework agreement
is the first major arms trade initiative since the annulment of the Gore-Chernomyrdin
Memorandum in November 2000, under which Russia pledged not to supply Iran
with conventional arms. The new framework agreement is expected to
lead to several new
contracts and long-term cooperation between Russia
and Iran. Russian experts
estimate that this venture could bring in $300-400 million a year.[6] This would
make Iran the third largest buyer of Russian weapons after China and India.[5]
Sources: [1] Ivan Safronov, "Iran Stunned by
Results of Firing Tests of Russian Missiles," Kommersant, 9 October 2001; in "Iran Defense
Minister Attends Russian Missile Firing Tests, Signs Agreement," FBIS
Document CEP20011011000230. [2] Aleksey Nikolskiy and Michail Kozyrev,
"Something to Fire From," Vedomosti, 2 October 2001;
in "Possible Iranian Purchases of Russian Arms Detailed," FBIS
Document CEP20011003000343. [3] "O vizite v Rossiyu ministra
oborony Irana," Interfax-Agentstvo Voyennykh Novostey, http://www.militarynews.ru,
2 October 2001. [4] "Ministry oborony Rossii i Irana
podpishut soglasheniye o VTS," Interfax, 2 October 2001. [5] "'Chuvstvitelnoye'
sotrudnitchestvo," Vedomosti,
No. 159, 3 September 2001; in Universal Database of Russian Newspapers,
http://udb.eastview.com. [6] "Ministr oborony Irana pribyvayet
v Moskvu s ofitsialnym vizitom," Interfax, 26 September 2001. {Entered
10/16/01 IA}
12/1/2000:
PROGRESS IN LIMITING PROLIFERATION TO IRAN REWARDED BY US LAUNCH QUOTA
ELIMINATION For more information please see the
12/1/2000 entry in the Russia:
Delivery Vehicle Facilities: M.V. Khrunichev State Space Scientific Production
Center.{Entered 5/15/2002 MJ}
8/9/2000: CIA REPORT SAYS RUSSIA
ACCELERATED IRANIAN BALLISTIC MISSILE PROGRAM IN 1999 A CIA report to Congress released on 9 August 2000 stated that Russian
entities continued to supply ballistic missile-related goods, technology,
and expertise to Iran in 1999. For more information, see the 8/9/2000
entry in the General Missile Export
Developments file.
{Entered 1/24/01 RG}
2/2/99: CIA DIRECTOR SAYS RUSSIAN TECHNOLOGY
BOOSTS IRANIAN MISSILE PROGRAMS Testifying before the US Congress on 2 February,
Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet said that despite US sanctions,
Russia was "backsliding" on its commitments to restrict the transfer of
missile technology to Iran. While Tenet said there were some positive signs
in Russia's performance on this issue in 1998, there was no sustained improvement,
and that in the six months prior to February 1999 expertise and materials
from Russia have assisted Iranian missile programs in training, testing,
and other areas. Tenet said this assistance was continuing and will
play a crucial role in Iran's programs to develop sophisticated, long-range
missiles. On 8 February, the CIA released an unclassified report
to Congress upon which Tenet's testimony was based. The report lays
out US concerns over nuclear and missile technology transfer to Iran.
(Both the full text of Tenet's
testimony and the the CIA Nonproliferation Center's Unclassified
Report to Congress on the Acquisition of Technology Relating to Weapons
of Mass Destruction and Advanced Conventional Munitions,
are available in the NIS Nuclear Profiles full-text
documents section.)
[James Risen, "C.I.A. Sees a North
Korean Missile Threat," New York Times, 3 February 1999, p. A6.] {entered
2/5/99 FW}{Revised 2/11/99 jl}
1/29/99: GORE AND PRIMAKOV DISCUSS MISSILE TECH
TRANSFER US Vice-President Al Gore and Russian Prime Minister
Yevgeniy Primakov discussed nonproliferation and other topics while attending
the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Gore emphasized US
concerns over Russian missile technology transfers to Iran and linked these
transfers to commercial cooperation in space launches. A senior US
official said that while $700 million in existing space contracts will
not be cancelled, the question of whether or not Russia can control the
flow of missile technology to Iran jeopardizes the growth of commercial
space cooperation.
["Davos--Gore Meets Primakov over Budget,
Missiles," Reuters, 29 January 1999.]{entered 3/19/99 FW} 1/14/99: FSB SAYS SANCTIONED INSTITUTES DID NOT
VIOLATE EXPORT CONTROLS The Public Relations Center of the Russian Federal
Security Service (FSB) stated that thorough checks on the three institutes
accused of supplying nuclear and missile technology to Iran (the Scientific
Research and Design Institute of Energy Technologies (NIKIET), the
Moscow Aviation Institute, and the D.
I. Mendeleyev Russian Chemical-Technological University) have shown
that the organizations did not violate nonproliferation export control
requirements. The FSB statement suggested that the US sanctions may have
resulted from misunderstandings or incomplete work by US intelligence agencies,
and said that the decision to impose sanctions indicates US bias against
Russian agencies that cooperate with Iran and other foreign countries.
["FSB RF zayavlyayet ob otsutstvii
narusheniy trebovaniy eksportnogo kontrolya tremy rossiyskimi organizatsiyami,"
Interfax, No.1, 14 January 1999.]{entered 3/22/99 FW}
1/14/99: RAKHMANIN DENIES MISSILE EXPORT ALLEGATIONS Russian foreign ministry spokesman Vladimir Rakhmanin
rejected US accusations that Russia is helping Iran's missile programs
as "unfounded." Rakhmanin criticized the linkage of alleged cooperation
with Iran to US-Russian agreements on commercial satellite launches as
"far-fetched," noting that no allegations of supplying missile technology
to other countries have been leveled against the major Russian organizations
providing launch services for US satellites, or against their subcontractors.
Limiting US-Russian cooperation on satellite launches would adversely affect
the interests of the US aerospace industry, Rakhmanin said.
["MID RF nazval nadumannymi popytki
Vashingtona uvyazat sotrudnichestvo s Moskvoy v oblasti zapuska kosmicheskikh
sputnikov s iranskoy temoy," Interfax, No.3, 14 January 1999]{entered 3/19/99
FW}
1/13/99: SARKISOV SAYS MENDELEYEV
UNIVERSITY DID NOT TRANSFER MISSILE TECHNOLOGY Pavel Sarkisov, rector of the D.I.
Mendeleyev Russian Chemical-Technical University, said that his university
had nothing to do with the sale of missile technology to Iran. Sarkisov
said that the university deals with the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy,
that the Department of Physical Chemistry trains specialists and conducts
studies of zirconium for the nuclear industry, but this research is not
secret and does not involve the export of nuclear technology. Sarkisov
added that the university has no contracts with Iran in the areas of zirconium
research or the burial of spent nuclear fuel, and has not trained personnel
for Iran in the past 15 years, although an Iranian post-graduate at the
university is conducting non-military-related research on the synthesis
of polystyrene.
["RKhTU im. Mendeleyeva oprovergayet
fakt prodazhi raketnykh tekhnologiy Iranu," Interfax, No.2, 13 January
1999.]{entered 2/22/99 FW}
1/13/99: SERGEYEV DENIES MISSILE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
TO IRAN Russian Minister of Defense Igor Sergeyev said that
control over nonproliferation of nuclear missile technologies does exist
in Russia. Commenting on the imposition of sanctions by the United
States on three Russian research institutes (the Scientific
Research and Design Institute of Energy Technologies (NIKIET), the
Moscow Aviation Institute, and the D.
I. Mendeleyev Russian Chemical-Technological University), Sergeyev
said that those institutes could not supply Iran with missile technologies
that they do not possess. Sergeyev further commented that the US decision
to apply sanctions was a pretext for something not yet clear, and that
while every country has the right to apply sanctions, what the United States
has done is unethical.
["V Rossii yest kontrol za nerasprostraneniyem
raketno-yadernykh tekhnologii-Minoborony," Interfax, No.1, 13 January 1999.]{entered
3/19/99 FW}
12/10/98: MASLYUKOV SAYS RUSSIA
WILL STOP MISSILE EXPORTS TO IRAN IF US OFFERS PROOF First Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Maslyukov
said that Russia was willing to tighten controls on exports of missile
technology to Iran if the United States provided proof of illicit transfers.
Iran was discussed at the start of two days of talks between Maslyukov
and US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott in Moscow. Russian Space
Agency Director Yuriy Koptev also took part in the talks.
["Russia--Will Curb Missile Exports
to Iran if Proven," Russia Today, 11 December 1998; in Lexis-Nexis
Academic Universe, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.]{entered
3/19/99 FW}
To return to the main
Missile Exports to Iran entry, see the 