Impending lifting of Iran sanctions worries Israel

Most of the economic sanctions imposed on Iran will be removed on Friday, US State Department officials said, while Russia readies the sale of advanced weapons to the Islamic Republic, Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported.

January 15 will mark the end of the international sanctions regime, which has been in place since 2007 through a series of decisions by American Presidents George W. Bush and Barak Obama, legislation passed by the US Congress and in the European Union, and resolutions passed by the UN Security Council. These sanctions were put in place in an effort to hinder and thwart Iran's nuclear program.

The American administration and the EU have already begun preparing the public for the diplomatic move: US Secretary of State John Kerry and his European counterpart, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, have announced over the past few days that the lifting of the sanctions would be done "in a matter of days."

The decision to lift the sanctions is based on a report from IAEA inspectors submitted to world powers last month that confirmed Iran was indeed meeting its commitments to dismantle its nuclear capabilities, in accordance with the agreement it signed with the P5+1 group of nations - the US, the UK, China, France, Russia, and Germany.

In light of the impending lifting of the sanctions, the regime in Tehran announced it plans on rehabilitating the outdated Iranian military, which desperately needs to update and upgrade its weapons systems.

The first country to get in line to do business with Iran is Russia.

A security delegation from Moscow is in the process of finalizing talks with the Iranian government, which began in March 2015, on the sale of Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets (considered the counterpart of the American F-15 jets) and advanced Yakhont (P-800 Oniks) anti-ship cruise missiles to Tehran.

Iran and Russia are also discussing the possibility of including in the arms deal advanced T-90 tanks, currently used by Russian forces in Syria.

In addition, the two nations discussed restarting the production line of T-72 tanks, which were built by the Russians in Iran in the past.

Source: MENA