Placing of U.S anti-missile system in Europe is technically groundless: expert
Azerbaijan, Baku, October 5 / Trend T. Konayeva /
Placing of anti-missile defense system in Europe is not considered to be politically well-founded from point of view of technical implementation, given the fact that it (the system) is based on unproven technologies, and taking into account the current economic situation in the U.S.A, Research Scholar at Kennedy School said.
"The anti-missile defense system relied on unproven technology. In light of the U.S budget situation, it was no longer regarded as politically feasibly to continue to spend on a defense system based on unproven technology," Azeem Ibrahim, Research Director at the European Centre for Advanced Defence and Strategic Studies, and Research Scholar at the International Security Program, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University told Trend in an E-mail.
U.S. President Barack Obama has announced about radical reconsideration of the plans to create the anti-missile defense system and denial to place anti-missile defense system in Eastern Europe in mid-September.
Washington said that placing of a radar station in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland is necessary to protect from unpredictable countries, especially Iran. But Obama's last statement said that U.S. intelligence had changed its assessment of the Iranian nuclear program's opportunities.
Ibrahim said that under U.S ex-president George Bush, the intelligence community believed that any threat from Iranian missiles would be in the form of long-range missiles, while U.S current minister of defense Robert Gates said that any Iranian threat was now likely to come from short and medium range missiles.
In late September, Iran launched Shahab medium range missiles within exercises on anti-missile defense in late September.
Later it became clear that Iran during trainings tested a ballistic missile Shahab-3 capable of hitting targets in Israel and successful tests of a two-stage solid-propellant rocket Sajil, the maximum flight range of which hits 2,000 kilometers, Tehran's statement said. According to military experts, missile Shahab-3 can also pose a threat to U.S bases in the Persian Gulf.
U.S expert said that there are no signs of a chance that Russia will reconsider their decision concerning the sanctions on Iran at the moment in response to official Washington's actions.
Russia's envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin even said that the cancellation was a response to Russia's gesture of allowing the United States to transit military supplies through Russia and Central Asia to its troops in Afghanistan.
Ibrahim said that Obama's decision is likely to increase U.S soft power, and so its ability to gather diplomatic support within the multilateral talks with Iran.
"It is too early to assess whether this increased support will translate into substantial changes in other countries' diplomatic positions. However, within Iran, it may make President Ahmadinejad's rhetorical portrayal of the USA as an aggressor seem out of touch with reality," Ibrahim said.
