I have to wonder what exactly the president got out of his stopover in Moscow on his way to the APEC summit a little over a week ago. He traveled well out of his way to chat with Putin. Since then, and despite our objections, the Kremlin has gone ahead with the delivery of an air-defense system to Iran. The Tor-M1 system will reportedly be deployed around Iran’s nuclear facilities – facilities the Russians are helping to build.

Tor-M1

(Source: AFP)

On top of this, Russia and China show no sign of acting responsibly on the UN Security Council in the face Tehran’s continued defiance over its nuclear enrichment program. The Council gave Iran until August 31 to stop its enrichment program or face real consequences. Iran ignored the deadline, and today the Council dithers.

After Air Force One departed Moscow, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley told reporters that the Putin meeting “really wasn't about business it was about social, it was about personal." That’s nice. It would also be nice to believe that when they did talk “business” the president received a private assurance from Putin that Moscow would back tough action against Iran, but it’s a hope getting dimmer by the day.

On Iran, the Russians appear to be all business.