Russia and the US could deploy a joint missile shield to protect Europe from Iranian long-range missiles in future,a former Russian general has said. "Russia and the US could jointly turn to this topic again in the future if Iran gets such a weapon (long-range ballistic missile),but this won't happen until at least 2015," Col Gen (retd) Viktor Yesin said. Gen Yesin,who served as chief of staff of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces from 1991-1993,was commenting on US President Barack Obama's decision to drop plans to deploy a radar system in the Czech Republic and a missile base in Poland due to a re-assessment of the threat from Iran. The short- and medium-range missiles that Iran now possesses have a speed of not more than 4.5 km/sec and could be effectively destroyed by a non-strategic missile system,Gen Yesin was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. Moscow was viewing the previous missile defence shield plans adopted by Bush administration as a threat to its second strike capability,which was instrumental in averting a nuclear showdown at the height of Cold War.
