Russia has confirmed the sale of a controversial weapons system to Iran, a move that could thwart Israeli or American plans to launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Russia is selling S-300 air-defense systems to Iran, the Russian RIA Novosti reported, quoting unnamed sources.
So they wouldn't buy one. They probably buy 100 of them. That means $USD 10 billion. Iran earns $USD 40 billion from its oil. So the prognosis, is that the threat of Israeli strike, forces Iran to waste all this money, and not build its infrastructure. That is exactly what the industrialized nations want from Iran.
Imagine a country whose geographical location makes it the best real-estate in the world, being sucked into a pariah state by a bunch of gun runners, drug dealers, and oil men. The Shahanshah went and wasted money on arms, and now these Mahdi worshippers are doing it for another reason.
The peace dividend for Iran and the whole area is too much for the western world to bear. The last thing they want is a Korea or Japan in West Asia.