2005 marked Russia's eclipsing the United States as the developing world's leader in arms deals, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. Yesterday, Russian news agencies announced a contractsigned by Russian defense officials that purports to sell S-300 air-defense missiles to Iran. According to the reports, while none of the weapons have been delivered, the contract was signed over two years ago.

Supplying the S-300s to Iran would markedly change the military balance in the Middle East, as this 2006 CFR Backgrounder on the Russia-Iran Arms Trade makes clear.

Iran is making a play to be the leader of the Islamic world in opposition to the West. The Sunni-Arab world feels increasingly threatened by Iran's growing religious and military influence in the region, and is responding accordingly, making the threat of nuclear proliferation throughout the Sunni-Arab world all the morerealshould a nuclear Iran be confirmed. Saudi Arabia is slowly gaining momentum with a counter Sunni axis, stroking relations with Jordan, Egypt, and the six Gulf monarchies. This latter group is unsure how to deal with an ambiguousObama administration, however, who have been anything but clear in its posture toward the Islamic Republic. As Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson noted in yesterday's column, the new administration has sent mixed signals, "combining a policy of caution with a message of confusion."

We can't afford to waffle around much longer.