Putin defends Iran against Western action: Netanyahu tries to cut a deal in Moscow.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has issued a strong defence of Iran against the threat of force or new sanctions imposed by the West.

According to comments confirmed by his press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, Putin told foreign experts  that "any use of force, delivering any kind of strike, won't help, won't solve the problem. On the contrary, it will hurt the entire region. As for sanctions, they won't bring the desired effect." This is, of course, a direct contradiction of US Defence Secretary Robert Gates comments following President Obama's announcement of the scrapping of the European missile defence shield.

Putin's comments come as Russia, Iran and Israel are embroiled in a dispute over the possible supply of S-300 missiles to Iran under a deal with Moscow, and an alleged secret visit to Russia  by Israeli Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu. Russian officials are believed to have promised the United States and Israel that Moscow will not deliver the defensive missiles to Iran. Israel has threatened to attack Iranian nuclear facilities before nuclear weapons can be produced from what Iran claims are purely civilian nuclear operations.
 
The dispute over the missiles could blow up into a major row between the US and Russia, and potentially derail plans furthered by President Obama during his visit to Moscow in July for a "reset" in relations.Obama's decision to scar the missile defence shield should possibly have been conditional on Russia cancelling any agreement to supply air defence missiles to Iran, or to Syria.
 
 
Where was Netanyahu?

Netanyahu himself briefly disappeared off the radar screen last week amid leaks that he had made a secret trip to Moscow to discuss arms shipments to Iran and Syria - and possibly even the mysterious cargo aboard the Arctic Sea, which mysteriously "disappeared" at sea recently.
 
Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday that Netanyahu had actually spent time discussing arms deals in Moscow. He had reportedly rented a private jet to escape media attention. Russia's Kommersant newspaper, meanwhile, cited a high-placed Kremlin source as confirming Netanyahu's visit.