Let the Sales Begin!

China Daily reports that it is negotiating sales of an F 16 knockoff to Iran in anticipation of the deal.

As they state:

The China-made J-10 multi-role fighter jet is a suitable choice for Iran if the Middle East power decides to upgrade its aging military aircraft fleet, Chinese aviation experts said. "Once the sanctions against Iran are completely lifted, the country will definitely renovate its civilian and military aircraft fleets. The J-10 is a good option for the Iranians because it can fulfill all operations they want to conduct," said Wang Ya'nan, deputy editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine. "In addition to air combat, our J-10 is also capable of performing air-to-surface strikes and anti-ship operations," he added. "Moreover, the Iranians must have known that China, among other major weapon exporters, is the most reliable supplier when it comes to arms deals. China is also very flexible in payment issues."

Thus the immediacy to see the market opportunity and arm Iran is at the top of the list of advantages of this deal. The idea of unintended consequences may not have been fully appreciated!

One should read and re-read Kennan's short work, American Diplomacy, and better understand all the mistakes the US has made over the years.

Having been a small part of the CTBT during the Carter period, verification of compliance is essential. Second is consequences to violations. Verification here appears to be near zero, since one could not tell until after an explosion.