Russia is going to supply Iran with nuclear fuel.

BUSHEHR, Iran — Iran and Russia, ignoring U.S. objections, signed a nuclear fuel agreement yesterday that is key to bringing Tehran’s first reactor online by the middle of next year.

The long-delayed deal, signed at the heavily guarded Bushehr nuclear facility in southern Iran, dramatized President Bush’s failure to persuade the Russians to curtail support for the Iranian nuclear program during his summit with Vladimir Putin last week in Slovakia.

Under the deal, Russia will provide nuclear fuel to Iran, then take back the spent fuel, a step meant to ensure it cannot be diverted into a weapons program. Iran also has agreed to allow the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to monitor Bushehr and the fuel deliveries.

And if John F. Kerry had been elected, the United States would have been doing the same thing.

UPDATE at 2/28/05 7:55:23 am:

The Russian bear is also considering supplying military equipment to the Palestinian Authority.

“There have been requests about extra sales of hardware, including armored personnel carriers, to the Palestinians,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency. “These requests are being considered. I believe this issue will be resolved.”

“The Palestinian leadership has proven its ability to keep the situation under control,” Lavrov said. “It has also proven its ability to coordinate the activities of all Palestinian organizations, including those who hold tough positions toward the Israelis.”