Russia’s Turnaround on Iran Arms Sales May Draw Sanctions, U.S. Warns

The Clinton administration may impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow follows through on its declared intent to sell conventional arms to Iran, the White House said Wednesday.

The administration is “troubled” by the Russians’ statement that as of Dec. 1 they will sell arms to the Iranians, in violation of a 1995 agreement with the United States, a White House official said.

“There are a whole range of actions we could take” in response, including sanctions, said the official, who asked not to be identified.

The dispute, disclosed Wednesday by the Washington Post, threatens to sour U.S.-Russian relations in the final days of the Clinton administration.

Under U.S. law, Washington imposes sanctions on countries that sell arms to seven nations that are officially identified as supporters of terrorism, including Iran.

The 1995 agreement between the U.S. and Russia, signed by Vice President Al Gore and then-Prime Minister Viktor S. Chernomyrdin, has been criticized by Republicans because it waived American sanctions on Russia for certain pending sales in return for a pledge that the Kremlin wouldn’t sell arms to Iran from the end of 1999.

Republicans complained that Gore had let the Russians off too easy and charged that the deal had been arranged without proper public disclosure.

The Clinton administration denied the charges.

Earlier this month, only days before the U.S. presidential election, Russian Foreign Minister Igor S. Ivanov notified Secretary of State Madeleine Albright that the Russians intended to ignore the agreement. Ivanov said the Americans had broken the deal by violating an agreement to keep its terms secret.

The White House official, however, said Ivanov’s argument was a “pretext.” The Russians are known to be interested in selling arms abroad to raise revenue, analysts say.

Clinton administration officials have strongly defended the original agreement. They have argued that the conventional arms involved in the original sales were too old to increase risks to U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf region.

And they said the deal had a beneficial effect in blocking additional sales of arms to Iran.

The 1995 deal permitted the Russians to sell the Iranians hundreds of tanks and armored personnel carriers, mines, bombs and artillery shells. They were also allowed to sell Tehran a sophisticated Kilo-class diesel submarine with long-range torpedoes.

Michael O’Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, said he doesn’t believe that sales of battlefield weapons to Iran pose much of a threat to U.S. interests.

There have been few signs that the Iranians have an interest in developing large land forces capable of aggression, he said.

On the other hand, sales of naval weaponry, including submarines and sophisticated mines, could pose more of a threat because of Iran’s potential to disrupt oil shipments and other trade in the Persian Gulf, he said.