Speaking on MSNBC, President Obama downplayed Russia’s decision to allow Iran to buy S-300 air defense systems from them, saying the systems would not stop an American attack on Iran.
“Even if they’ve got some air defense systems, we could penetrate them,” Obama insisted, noting the US spends $600 billion on its military compared to Iran’s $17 billion.
The S-300 line was a top Soviet-era long-range air defense system, it first entered use in Russia in the 1980s. It has never been used in combat anywhere, but is considered a higher end defensive system.
The reports Iran might be able to buy them riled Israel, who noted it would make their own threatened attack on Iran considerably less convenient. The US, with its seemingly endless supply of warplanes and missiles, appears confident it can throw enough force at pretty much anywhere or anything to thwart the defenses.
Despite what Ditz the US MSM and the hapless "red line" clown and his white masters at the White House plantation want you to believe, the S-300 is constantly upgraded and developed, just like any of Russia´s missile defence, beyond anything comparable the US fascist regime can come up with for the next 25-30 years. Still! That was the case decades ago and the US have been busy building it´s offensive occupation army ever since.
If it isn´t a threat to US (israels) war agenda against Iran, why do you think they keep whining, b*ching and threatening about it?
Forget the ridiculous "indispensable" and "exceptional" US settler state bragging. In all but name, Iran will, as we speak, get the latest S-400 and there is of course nothing the US can do about it or to stop it, just because the US genocides of Iraq, Libya and Syria stops exactly there. There´s a red line you can trust!
Oboomer boasts the USG has a 600 billion war budget. I wonder if that includes the
113 BILLION wasted on the JSF Jet that (can't) fly.
As I have stated before, it is not attack which ought to be planned, but how to and how many war planes you are going to get back to base. No defense system is impenetrable, that much is true; they are not designed with that in mind. Their aim is to make it extremely costly to stage an attack; a deterrent if you may. In this case, pilots are to be sent in a one-way mission which is totally irrelevant to US interests. Further, your air force, whether or not it accomplishes whatever it was sacrificed to -I do not see your allies bleed-will no longer be able to cover its myriad other missions. Lack of manpower if nothing else; you do not assemble pilots. After this fiasco if not Pyrrhic victory there is, of course, the nuclear card to play. Enter Russia and China…
As I mentioned below, how does Israel actually "get at" Iran? It would have to violate the airspace of at least two countries to reach Iranian territory and fly down the Red Sea and come in from the Indian Ocean. That would probably require refueling somewhere and that means Diego Garcia, British territory. At that point, they might as well put an ad in the Iranian papers saying they're coming!
Obviously, our system was not up to stopping four airliners from being hijacked on a single day. And here we are a decade later, with allegedly better technology and the country in panic mode, and we're still as wide open as before.
Sure we could get past the S-300's- but how many pilots and aircraft are you going to lose before you figure out how to take it down? And, in return, just how many free agents could Iran send across our southern border to do a little mischief of their own? America isn't ready- or willing- to fight an enemy who will fight back and bide his time in doing so. Persians aren't stupid- and their empire hasn't lasted this long by doing stupid things.
Why and with what intent in mind would you try to get past a defensive weapon?
Iran isn´t a threat to, nor are they threatening anybody.
Russia spent decades developing these offensive supersonic weapons while the US where strutting around occupying lands and testing it´s offensive perversities on defenceless thirld world countries around the world. The US would need at least 20 years and tons of non-existent cash in the same sphere to get anywhere near were Russia is today.
S-300 is not locked in a time warp, the main part of it is the missile of which Russia develops a new more effective and faster than the previous, every two-three years, next is the radar which also gets a major upgrade in a 5 year span and so on. Iran will get the latest S-system there is, short of the S-500 which is for Russian domestic defence, for now.
Russia is much too technologically backward to "upgrade" its weapons systems in any meaningful way. Iran isn't threatening anybody, but Putin is. Thus, trying to claim that the S-300 is superior to anything the US has is just another "let Putin win" pretext.
How many Americans and menbers of congress know and understand that Iran is no pushover like Iraq/Syria/Libya.
"…how many free agents could Iran send across our southern border…"
Let's not forget the H1-B program the IT world used from the 80's and still in use today. The massive influx of lower-waged IT workers brought in to lower IT costs and replace American workers are still here. I worked with some of these people (before I was replaced by them) and can state that the "loyalty" to the American people who pay their salaries is basically non-existent. They are intelligent and most of them are in the states for the money – and they typically despise us. Kind of the way our military members feel about the locals wherever the are deployed.
How many of these mercenaries might have other objectives is unknown – and they live and work deep within our midst. Just saying that "mischief makers" might already legally be in country.
What was the merit for getting the NOBEL Peace prize???????
…not being George Bush.
I think the Europeans got over-exciting about the real meaning of electing a black President. They thought it was the dawn of a new age of racial peace in America, of which Obama was the proof and the symbol on whom they could hang recognition of this great development.
They were rather quickly embarrassed about such thoughts, and so don't give any real explanation at all.
"Not Bush" was also a factor, since they hated Bush, but the Prize was more a misunderstanding of what it meant to elect Obama.
"…but the Prize was more a misunderstanding of what it meant to elect Obama."
The platform he campaigned on was one of being against war, especially the Iraq war. Unfortunately for us and the rest of the world, it was not a true representation of who or what he actually was.
I think the key word here is 'downplayed'. He doesn't want to make an issue of it.
but he likes to shoot off his mouth.
The rogue state of Israel also conveniently forgets that the Iranians could hit back in other ways. I'm pretty sure the co-ordinates of the Dimona nuclear reactor will, by now, be factored into the guidance systems of their many Shebab-3 missiles. All this talk by the US and Israel is madness, a set of talking dogs in a circus would make more sense.
given that its 1500 kilometers from tehran to tel aviv and the shehab 4 apparently has a range of about 1200 kilometers they might come up a bit short.
Says the anonymous rocket engineer of the internet, right?
On January 17, 2006 Iran flight tested the No-dong-B to at least 3,000 to 3,218 kilometers but the missile is credited with a range of 4,000 kilometers
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/shah…
In a just world,America should lose all its pilots and fighters before they break Iran airspace.
Empire USA — Surely a paper tiger
For starters, this will stop US and Israel from flying drones over Iran making it well worth the money. But it’s greatest benefit is the impact it has on destroying the illusion of invincibility that shrouds our Empire and gives it a superior ability to terrorize.
The planes didn't take down the towers. Nano-thermite did. It was found on WTC by Niels Harrit, Uni of Copenhagen, and 8 more scientists. Did OBL have access to nano-thermite ? The US can't win a war against Iran. Supersonic Silkworm cruise missiles from China can sink all warships in the Persian Gulf. There is no defense !
Claus,
I've corrected you before on this. Why do you keep making the same false claim?
The version of the Silkworm fielded by Iran is not supersonic. And Silkworms have in fact been shot down in combat (HMS Gloucester, 1991, using a Sea Dart).
It's one thing to suggest that a war against Iran might be difficult or even unwinnable. It's another thing entirely to make flatly false claims about the capabilities of their weapons systems. If you continue to do that about the Silkworm, why should anyone believe anything else you have to say about anything?
There is a never ending seesaw between attack and defense. The US has the money and expertise to win that endless contest. However, it is never just a win. The win costs. The defense makes the attack more difficult, limits it in some ways. And not all attacks can overcome the defense.
I've no doubt that the US could penetrate the defense. It would be less of a cakewalk. It would produce a lesser success.
I doubt the Israelis could penetrate that defense to the same degree as the US. They are already talking of using drones and stealth missiles to overcome it, and no doubt they could accomplish some things. However, their limited means of a few squadrons of older model aircraft would not match what the US can do with very many more led by B-2's and F-22's and dedicated electronic platforms like the EA-18G Growler.
This would limit an attack to some degree, and it would be much more limiting for the Israelis than for the US. It would entirely stop the Saudis of course.
This takes from Israel some of its power to ruin the deal.
Putin most likely is more motivated just to react to US moves in Ukraine, rather than just a calculus about Iran.
The last sentence is right, I think. Putin is "just reacting" and that's his problem. All he can to is make ineffectual gesture, threatning and blustering, first one way then another. If his neocon backers can't continue to hold Obama back, then he's finished.
:…few squadrons of older model aircraft…"
Well, the Pentagon could sell the Israelis a bunch of F-35's…what the Iranians don't shoot down Lockheed-Martin can take responsibility for when the superior F-35's start dropping from the skies over the desert. Oh, did the marketing material fail to mention that the F-35's don't do well in dusty places? Oh, well, buyer beware, eh?
We've already agreed to give them 40 of them (2 squadrons plus a few), before our guys get them. We will pay for them as future military aid, that we pre-commit.
However, in addition to all the other problems, they are delayed, by a lot. The Navy is now planning to buy more F-18's while it waits.
Soviet era? "Higher end"? Any weapon that was "higher end" in the 1980s is antiquated nowadays! I doubt if such a system could do much damage to Israel's "higher end" (2015-style!) air force. Israel's problem in attacking Iran is that it can't do it without violating the sovereignty of other countries.
"…without violating the sovereignty of other countries."
Just like the US, I'm sure that is not something that the Israelis are concerned about since it's never bothered them in the past.
Yep, the 1970s A-10 is just a piece of useless antiquated technology until you get near one when it fires.
It is America's love of whiz-bang technology that will be its downfall. Vietnam ring a bell?
USG military spending is (UP) 45% since 9/11 (which) was a staged event to
justify USG aggression and wars for profit. Perpetual (war) is big business
for the crooks in control of this country.
The chicken hawk punks and draft dodgers in the USG Congress and white House
should be the first to enlist in (any) military conflict with Iran.
Hell will freeze over before that happens.
Obama is a master of rhetorical mouthings, blustering ridicule directed at any suggestion of American weakness or incompetence. Here yet again are more brave words to keep "patriots" feeling superior. Cheerleading American omnipotence. Hoorah!
But the world knows better,… because they've seen the truth. Lost Iraq, lost Afghanistan. Drone strikes against helpless peasants without any anti-aircraft radar at all is about all the multi-trillion dollar military is good for,… beyond defense contractor profits.
Thomas L. Knapp. On this same page I've read there is no defense against Silkworm. Re nano-thermite, I don't know what you are talking about. It's a fact that nano-thermite was used. The buildings turned into dust before they hit the ground ! No debris from the planes ! Nano-thermite and Directed Energy Weapon probably. The planes probably flown by remote control. The buildings can't turn into dust in midair, but they did. Newton was suspended, the wings didn't break off, no debris!
9 scientists, one of them Niels Harrit, Uni of Copenhagen, confirmed the use of nano-thermite, and advanced nano-thermite, from a military laboratory. The day before Rumsfeld had said that they couldn't find 2.3 Trillion Dollars. Nobody mentioned it afterwards. All of it is a bit TOO STRANGE.
"Re nano-thermite, I don't know what you are talking about."
There's a good reason for that: I didn't mention nano-thermite.