Khatemi's victory in the presidential elections has not led to a shift in policy in Iran; all important decisions are being taken by Khamenai.
In the view of Israeli Intelligence, Iran will in the coming years become a major force in the production of long-range missiles and non-conventional weaponry -- chemical, biological and nuclear. According to estimates, Iran is developing a missile with a range of 1,300 kilometers, capable of hitting targets in any part of Israel, and after the completion of this project Teheran will begin the development of a missile with a range of 2,000 KM, which could reach areas in half of Europe.
Considerable apprehension is being felt in political sources in Israel, the U.S.A and Europe at the strengthening of Iran, aided by Russian information and technology. Israel and the U.S. have sent clear messages to the Russian government, requesting that they halt aid to Iran, but until now this has been to no avail.
It is known that Iran has invested a billion dollars in its build-up, after Ali Khamenai, the spiritual leader of the country and widely considered the key figure in the country, defined two strategic objectives: the production of long-range missiles, and the acquiring of non-conventional weaponry. According to Israeli analysts, there has been no change in Iranian policies since the victory of Mohammed Ali Khatemi, considered a relative moderate, in the presidential elections, since all military decisions rest in the hands of Ali Khamenai alone.
It appears that Iran has entered into a strategic alliance with Russia, and in the last years has benefitted from aid of an unprecedentedly wide- ranging nature. From information acquired by various intelligence sources, it transpires that the majority of military industrial projects in Russia are involved in aiding Iran, and hundreds of Russian scientists, and thousands of workers from Russian security industries are working as paid employees, helping Teheran develop conventional and non-conventional weapons.
Intelligence sources in Israel and abroad estimate that cooperation between Iran and Russia derives from the fact that the Russians have taken a strategic decision to attempt a return to great-power status, the first stage of which involves re-entry to the Middle East. In order to achieve this objective, Moscow has begun to aid Iran, Iraq and Syria, using its developing military industries. It is considered that the Russian Foreign Minister, Yevgeni Primakov, is among the leading promoters of the drive to return Russia to the status of a power in the Middle East.
Israel estimates that the Russians will succeed in their attempts to once again become a power in the Middle East, since the Americans are doing nothing to prevent this.