Obama backtracks on Israel defense package to counter Iran nuclear deal - http://www.debka.com/article/25217/Obama-backtracks-on-Israel-defense-package-to-counter-Iran-nuclear-deal-
US President Barack Obama has retracted on his pledge of an extra defense package to compensate Israel for the damage caused its security by the nuclear deal concluded with Iran last year. This flat refusal, reported here by debkafile's Washington sources, confronted Israeli officials when they met last week with heads of the National Security Council at the White House.
Asked to define its new requirements, Israel asked the administration for an additional $1.9 billion, which would have upped the total to $5 billion per annum for the next five years. The officials explained that Israel's defense bill had been inflated substantially by the new perils looming from the current Middle East wars, and the windfall Iran had gained from the lifting of sanctions for its advanced ballistic missiles programs and for enhancing its allies' aggressive capacity, especially that of Hezbollah.
Israel is now beset additionally by adverse Russian military operations in southern Syria and looming ISIS threats on multiple fronts, at a time that the Arab states are stuffing their armories with advanced weapons from Russia and China.
The US officials explained that, because of cutbacks in US defense spending, it would not be possible to add a single dollar to Israel's regular $3.1 billion appropriation. After notifying Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon of this refusal, the Israeli delegation was advised to reduce its application to $900 million. This too was refused.
The standing $3.1 billion annual US assistance program for Israel expires at the end of 2016. The negotiations taking place currently were to have covered its extension for ten years. That too is in doubt.
In his report to the cabinet meeting Sunday, Jan. 7, the prime minister said that if Israel's security needs were not met, he would not sign a deal and would prefer to wait for the next US president to take office in January 2017.
Although Netanyahu did not say so explicitly, this issue will no doubt play into the election campaign for the next American president. The prime minister hopes that the leading candidates, whether Democrats or Republican, will be more forthcoming about Israel's defense needs.
US officials reacted angrily to Netanyahu's comment, warning that the US budgetary situation would not improve and that Israel would not find a president more committed to its security than Barack Obama.
This is the line customarily taken by the president and Secretary of State John Kerry when issues come up with the Netanyahu government.
IMoshe Ya'alon is due to visit Washington in March for talks with Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and will no doubt try to soften the US refusal. Our sources report that the Secretary has been advised by the White House not to make any concessions. Towards the end of March, Netanyahu had arranged to attend the conference of the pro-Israeli lobby AIPAC. That is no longer certain. And even if he does go to Washington, there is no telling if he will ask to see the president for a last-ditch bid for the extra military assistance.
Obama is in no mood to change his mind. Administration officials have laid the ground for his position by underestimating the amounts released to Iran by the lifting of sanctions as no more than around $50 billion, whereas Israel, whose concern strong reflects that of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Emirates, says the real sum on tap for Tehran is double or even triple that amount.
They all confirm that the lion's sure is going directly into developing Iran's cutting-edge weaponry.
That Obama administration policies have substantially promoted Iran's political and military interests and exacerbated its menace to the region is an argument that finds no listeners in the Washington of today, whether it comes from Israel or the Persian Gulf.
Ignoring Obama, Iran upgrades its nuclear-capable Emad missile - By Ari Yashar - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/207825#.Vry9-zbSkaG
Flaunting sanctions, Iran's DM says update of nuclear rockets able to hit Israel coming soon, Russian S-300 delivery in next 2 months.
In open defiance of recent US sanctions on Iran's ballistic missile program, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan on late Tuesday told local media that Tehran will soon be rolling out an upgrade of its nuclear-capable medium-range Emad missiles.
The "next generation of Emad with improved precision" will be unveiled in the next Iranian year which starts on March 20, Dehghan said as cited by the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Emad is said to have a 1,700 kilometer range, putting Israel and much of eastern Europe squarely in its sights.
"The missile is being mass-produced but its precision-striking power will improve and its second version will be unveiled next year," Dehghan added. He went on to claim the missile was not a violation of the nuclear deal or UN sanctions because "we will never use a nuclear warhead (on it)."
In light of an Iranian Emad test on October 10, in breach of UN sanctions, US President Barack Obama's administration in January announced it was leveling sanctions on Iran's missile program - sanctions which Iran promptly vowed to defy. Iran in January publicly revealed its 14 underground "missile towns," with the latest facility being shown on Iranian media as convoys of the nuclear-capable Emad missiles were transferred in.
Dehghan also announced that Iran is to receive the Russian S-300 air defense system within the next two months, a troubling development given the advanced system's ability to shoot down missiles as well as jets.
The delivery has been blocked under Western pressure since 2010, given that it is in breach of UN sanctions. But now in the wake of the controversial nuclear deal Moscow is set to deliver the advanced missile system.
According to the Iranian defense minister Tehran and Moscow are also engaged in negotiations on a sale of the Russian Sukhoi-30 fighter jets.
"We have even decided on the number of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets that we want to buy," said Dehghan.
In a last announcement, he said Iran has designed and is testing a new tank called the "Karrar," which he claimed is on par with the Russian T-90. The new tank comes after plans to buy the Russian tank were canceled, according to Dehghan because Iran now has the capabilities to build a similar tank on its own.
"The defense industry designed and built the new battle tank from scratch. If not better, it's still as deadly as the Russian T-90," he claimed.
Following the controversial nuclear deal last July, Iran has shown an openly hostile stance to the US and continued to press its military development.
Critics of the nuclear deal note that Iran will be allowed to inspect its own covert nuclear sites such as Parchin, and likewise the leading state sponsor of terror can simply wait for the limitations on its nuclear program to expire under the deal in 15 years and then build a nuclear weapon.
US Secretary of State John Kerry in January admitted that part of the roughly $150 billion nuclear sanction windfall received by Iran will go to terror.
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