The question is stated as delivery of a "S-300 or S-400 missile system." A "system" requires all the major operational components to be delivered (search radar, targeting radar, missile launcher, command post, etc.). Regarding hiding the system, while I agree that generally you don't want to give away the exact location of your military assets, it is important to credibly signal your enemies if you expect to deter them. Most of the Iranian comments to this point are probably inward directed, to create a sense of strength in the aftermath of the nuclear deal with the West. Outward directed statements (to Israel) will come when the system is actually functioning.
@ravel Is this is to be Vladdys power play on Iran then? And KJU gets to glimpse his future? Erdogan's blunders let Vladdy bring S-400's into Syria. That's as least as good as getting a rook up in chess and they're probably never ever leaving. Drone business be damned.
@morrell@cmeinel, on the matter of how international the set of forecasters here is, based on my blog visits, proportional representation is as follows (roughly, because I have some repeat visitors, notably @Khalid from Pakistan, which throws off the count somewhat):
United States 62.18%
Canada 7.52%
Pakistan 6.53%
Switzerland 3.61%
United Kingdom 3.19%
Germany 1.75%
Brazil 1.68%
Netherlands 1.58%
Hong Kong SAR China 1.20%
Italy 1.17%
France 1.10%
Colombia 0.79%
Australia 0.72%
Norway 0.69%
South Africa 0.65%
Singapore 0.62%
Poland 0.58%
Argentina 0.45%
Philippines 0.34%
Croatia 0.27%
Estonia 0.27%
India 0.27%
Greece 0.24%
Ireland 0.24%
Israel 0.24%
Russia 0.24%
Mongolia 0.21%
Denmark 0.17%
Slovakia 0.17%
Bulgaria 0.14%
Romania 0.14%
Spain 0.14%
Austria 0.10%
Sweden 0.10%
Barbados 0.07%
Jamaica 0.07%
Mexico 0.07%
Portugal 0.07%
South Korea 0.07%
United Arab Emirates 0.07%
Angola 0.03%
Belgium 0.03%
Ecuador 0.03%
Hungary 0.03%
Malaysia 0.03%
New Zealand 0.03%
Turkey 0.03%
Zimbabwe 0.03%
Then what is interesting is who is not participating. I guess people from these countries are not: Afghanistan, Åland, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Ascension Island, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Honduras, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Jan MayenIslands, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Palau, Palestine[27], Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, People’s Republic of China, Peru, Pitcairn Islands, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of the Congo, Réunion, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sint Maarten, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbardand, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Gambia, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United States Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia. @GJDrew, how come numbers so low in Nauru?
@000 Just trying to assemble a catalogue of butthurts. If we are to have a new world order, then ... Let's just say that I'm trying out a new operational model. Vladdy is the one with time on his side.
If you're Iran which door do you chose?
1. Russia - been there done that
2. China - Go baby Go
3. Other - if they can get their shit together.
This is one of the lesser models. I've taken run all of them through the rug bazaar off of the table.
S-300s being shipped to Iran! Whoohoo!
Russia to begin first shipment of S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran - Business Insider
https://apple.news/A_3_ztAItRYKFneYJ64B3ww
http://en.mehrnews.com/news/115721/First-part-of-S-300-missile-system-delivered-to-Iran "Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jaberi Ansari who is speaking in his weekly press conference announced the delivery of fist shipment of S-300 missile system to Iran.
...
In response to a question on delivery of Russian advanced defense missile system S-300, Jaberi Ansari confirmed that the first part of the delivery is imported to Iran through Caspian Sea"
Latest news, the sale "has been started," to be "completed by the end of the year." Has any complete system been delivered yet? Or are they still arguing over the lawsuit and payment? The following news story is opaque on these issues.
MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/ ...Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station Russia had started sales of S-300 systems to Iran, with the deal to be completed by the end of the year. "We are acting in strict compliance with the contract. They pay, we sell. We have already started. It is a supply in full sets," he said.
http://tass.ru/en/defense/872512
Reaffirming my forecast.
The question is stated as delivery of a "S-300 or S-400 missile system." A "system" requires all the major operational components to be delivered (search radar, targeting radar, missile launcher, command post, etc.). Regarding hiding the system, while I agree that generally you don't want to give away the exact location of your military assets, it is important to credibly signal your enemies if you expect to deter them. Most of the Iranian comments to this point are probably inward directed, to create a sense of strength in the aftermath of the nuclear deal with the West. Outward directed statements (to Israel) will come when the system is actually functioning.
@ravel Is this is to be Vladdys power play on Iran then? And KJU gets to glimpse his future? Erdogan's blunders let Vladdy bring S-400's into Syria. That's as least as good as getting a rook up in chess and they're probably never ever leaving. Drone business be damned.
I have to credit @Phronesis for this. It's the eye of tiger vis-a-vis the clashes of Imperial Russia and Imperial Persia.
http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/world-news/around-the-globe/russophilia-and-russian-expansionism-in-the-middle-east-19717
OK now we're explaining stuff in terms of HISTORY?
@morrell @cmeinel, on the matter of how international the set of forecasters here is, based on my blog visits, proportional representation is as follows (roughly, because I have some repeat visitors, notably @Khalid from Pakistan, which throws off the count somewhat):
United States 62.18%
Canada 7.52%
Pakistan 6.53%
Switzerland 3.61%
United Kingdom 3.19%
Germany 1.75%
Brazil 1.68%
Netherlands 1.58%
Hong Kong SAR China 1.20%
Italy 1.17%
France 1.10%
Colombia 0.79%
Australia 0.72%
Norway 0.69%
South Africa 0.65%
Singapore 0.62%
Poland 0.58%
Argentina 0.45%
Philippines 0.34%
Croatia 0.27%
Estonia 0.27%
India 0.27%
Greece 0.24%
Ireland 0.24%
Israel 0.24%
Russia 0.24%
Mongolia 0.21%
Denmark 0.17%
Slovakia 0.17%
Bulgaria 0.14%
Romania 0.14%
Spain 0.14%
Austria 0.10%
Sweden 0.10%
Barbados 0.07%
Jamaica 0.07%
Mexico 0.07%
Portugal 0.07%
South Korea 0.07%
United Arab Emirates 0.07%
Angola 0.03%
Belgium 0.03%
Ecuador 0.03%
Hungary 0.03%
Malaysia 0.03%
New Zealand 0.03%
Turkey 0.03%
Zimbabwe 0.03%
Then what is interesting is who is not participating. I guess people from these countries are not: Afghanistan, Åland, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Ascension Island, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Timor, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Honduras, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Jan MayenIslands, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Palau, Palestine[27], Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, People’s Republic of China, Peru, Pitcairn Islands, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of the Congo, Réunion, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sint Maarten, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbardand, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Gambia, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United States Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia. @GJDrew, how come numbers so low in Nauru?
@000 Just trying to assemble a catalogue of butthurts. If we are to have a new world order, then ... Let's just say that I'm trying out a new operational model. Vladdy is the one with time on his side.
If you're Iran which door do you chose?
1. Russia - been there done that
2. China - Go baby Go
3. Other - if they can get their shit together.
This is one of the lesser models. I've taken run all of them through the rug bazaar off of the table.
Obviously Tim Cook is running the world right now. http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/11/politics/apple-paris-terror-attacks-san-bernardino/index.html
S-300s being shipped to Iran! Whoohoo!
Russia to begin first shipment of S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran - Business Insider
https://apple.news/A_3_ztAItRYKFneYJ64B3ww
That's interesting, given their prior explanation for not sending them (i.e. not wanting them to wind up being transferred to combatants in Syria).
Likely a good indication that Russia is actually winding down their air war in Syria (and not just pretending).
videos claiming to show arrival on Instagram - not confirmed yet though.
http://en.mehrnews.com/news/115721/First-part-of-S-300-missile-system-delivered-to-Iran
"Foreign Ministry Spokesman Jaberi Ansari who is speaking in his weekly press conference announced the delivery of fist shipment of S-300 missile system to Iran.
...
In response to a question on delivery of Russian advanced defense missile system S-300, Jaberi Ansari confirmed that the first part of the delivery is imported to Iran through Caspian Sea"
Latest news, the sale "has been started," to be "completed by the end of the year." Has any complete system been delivered yet? Or are they still arguing over the lawsuit and payment? The following news story is opaque on these issues.
MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/ ...Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station Russia had started sales of S-300 systems to Iran, with the deal to be completed by the end of the year. "We are acting in strict compliance with the contract. They pay, we sell. We have already started. It is a supply in full sets," he said.
http://tass.ru/en/defense/872512