Russia signs some deal with
syria last week and now this....
http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/03/stor...0300991500.htm
Russia to launch spy satellites for Iran
By Vladimir Radyuhin
MOSCOW, FEB. 2. Russia will launch two spy and one telecommunications satellites for Iran in what may be a sign of strengthening strategic tie-up between the two countries.
The Russian military space forces this year will place two Iranian remote earth-probe (reconnaissance) satellites to geo-stationary orbits, a Russian business daily reported today. The satellites, Italian-built Mesbah and indigenous Sinah-1 will be lifted by the Russian Kosmos-3M booster from the Russian military space port, Plisetsk, in the second quarter of 2005, the Kommersant daily reported.
Russia will also build and launch a geo-stationary telecom satellite, Zohreh (Venus), for Iran under a $132-million deal signed earlier this week in Teheran. Moscow will also help the Islamic Republic in setting up two ground control stations and train local personnel.
Unlike the Zohreh contract, the deal for the launch of the two spy satellites, named Mesbah and Sinah-1, has not been made public. However, the Prime Minister, Mikhail Fradkov, signed a directive last month permitting the Russian Defence Ministry to launch "scientific" satellites for several countries, including two for Iran. The orbiting of two spy satellites will enable Iran to monitor the Persian Gulf and the territory of Israel for possible threats to its security.
Expansion
The expansion of the Russian-Iranian cooperation into space is bound to enrage the United States. Washington has been pushing Moscow — in vain so far — to freeze the construction of a nuclear power station in Bushehr.
A day after Russia and Iran signed the satellite deal, the U.S. Undersecretary of State, John Bolton, said Israel could shortly deliver a strike at Iranian nuclear facilities and did not rule out any U.S. options regarding on Iran.