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Russia Warns: We'll Play the Iran Card Against U.S., EU - Walter Russell Mead
(American Interest) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Wednesday that Russia could "raise the stakes" in its confrontation with the West over Ukraine by revising its stance on Iran. The threat has teeth. If Russia switches its stance from pushing Iran, however lightly, toward abandoning its nuclear program toward tacitly or overtly promising to support Iran regardless of the nuclear issue, the West's strategy toward Iran could rapidly unravel. Linking the Ukraine crisis with the Iran negotiation is an American nightmare; it might just be a Russian dream come true. If Russia shifts into active cooperation with Iran, it is hard to see how the White House can keep hope alive. If this statement really represents Russian policy rather than rhetoric, President Obama may have to choose between a shattering humiliation in the Black Sea, or a significantly greater risk of war in the Persian Gulf.