Belarus And Iran

The White House has submitted a report to Congress accusing Belarus and its president of illegally selling weapons to Iran.

Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarus dictator, according to this report has turned himself into "one of the richest men in the former Soviet Union" by selling arms to nations like Iran and other rogue regimes. Western diplomats say that Belarus earns more than £1.14 billion annually in weapons sales, much of which goes into a secret fund controlled directly by the president. Some of the components sold to Iran could even be used in weapons of mass destruction.

Lukashenko is already in trouble for an election in Belarus, widely denounced as a sham. Britain and the European Union have signalled their intention to impose penalties should today's poll prove to be rigged. He has brutally cracked down on his opponents and posters for his main challenger, Alexander Milinkevich, are ripped down as soon as they are put up. Historically, sometimes his opponents simply disappear.

Watch this situation closely as it develops.

More at Iran-Focus.

If you'd like to learn more about Lukashenko visit this BBC article.