Translated material
Iran, titanium and "Torahs"
Rosoboronexport again came under sanctions from the US State Department
On October 23, the US State Department imposed economic sanctions for a period of two years against the Russian state intermediary in the trade in arms and military equipment - the Rosoboronexport company and all its subsidiaries. Knowing that the state intermediary is joining the newly created state corporation Russian Technologies, the Americans are prudent indicated: the sanctions apply to “any of his successors.” The document was signed by Acting Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Elliott, who heads the State Department’s Office of Verification, Compliance and Implementation of Agreements in the Field of Arms Control and International Security.The official statement published in the US Federal Register also lists 12 organizations from Venezuela, Syria, China, North Korea, South Korea, Sudan and the UAE. But the key to this black list, according to many experts, is Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - the elite units of the armed forces of this Islamic republic and foreign companies allegedly cooperating with it, including Rosoboronexport.
The sanctions were imposed in accordance with the US law “The Iran, North Korea and Syria Non-Proliferation Act”. The listed organizations are accused of being involved in the supply to the named countries of "equipment and technology controlled in accordance with international control lists ... or having the potential to contribute to the development of weapons of mass destruction or cruise or ballistic missile systems." To the government The United States is prohibited from entering into any contractual agreements with these organizations, is prohibited from selling them any military goods, or issuing any new licenses for the export of goods subject to export control requirements in the United States. All US government organizations are prohibited from providing any assistance." Rosoboronexport" to buy its products or use its services. The Russian company is deprived of the opportunity to purchase military equipment from the United States.
The Bush administration imposed sanctions against Rosoboronexport twice - in July and December 2006. The reason then was also military-technical cooperation with Iran. So, at the time of the announcement of the current decision, Rosoboronexport, along with several other Russian organizations in the defense complex, had been under similar American sanctions for almost two years. In essence, this is nothing more than another attempt to force foreign companies to work according to internal American regulations, since Russia acts in accordance with international law.
Rosoboronexport itself regards American sanctions as “a manifestation of unfair competition”, as an attempt to prevent Russia from implementing its foreign trade activities. According to the International Peace Research Institute in Stockholm (SIPRI), in terms of the volume of arms supplied abroad by Rosoboronexport in recent years, Russia has taken a leading position. In just nine months of 2008, supplies abroad of weapons and military equipment permitted for export increased by 23%. Rosoboronexport also states that the countries listed by the US State Department are not subject to the sanctions of the UN Security Council resolutions “prohibiting the export of weapons and military equipment against them.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry assessed the US actions as an unfriendly action that would negatively affect discussions within the Six on the Iranian nuclear issue. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that US sanctions against Rosoboronexport will not force Russia to change its position on the Iranian nuclear issue. Washington is trying to apply American national legislation to other countries, said Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak, they will cause a decrease in trust between our two countries.
In fact, the decision of the US State Department was caused by the fact that Russia supplied 29 Tor-M1 short-range air defense missile systems to Iran . And thus, from the point of view of the US authorities, it upset the balance of power in the region. However, the Tor-M1 is a purely defensive weapon, intended to combat high-precision air attack weapons - cruise missiles, guided and unguided aerial bombs. Its range is up to 12 km, height – up to 6 km. And it is unlikely that this complex makes a noticeable contribution to the existing balance of forces. Nor will the concluded agreement on the supply of one division of Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran.
The State Department’s actions will not affect Russia’s military-technical cooperation with foreign countries. Moreover, Russia does not trade weapons with the United States. However, US sanctions against Rosoboronexport may lead to retaliatory measures. In particular, to the cessation of supplies of Russian titanium to the American corporation Boeing: the world's largest titanium producer, the VSMPO-AVISMA company from Verkhnyaya Salda, Sverdlovsk region, is a subsidiary of Rosoboronexport.