TRUMP, RUSSIA AND IRAN

Kissinger picked Tillerson for Trump's Secretary of State in order to entice Putin into America's arms with the lure of Tillerson being able to lift the sanctions on Russia that stop the Rosneft-Exxon Mobil exploitation of Russia's Arctic. This will bring much needed spondooliks into the Russian treasury.

As the Trump administration begins planning its outreach to Moscow, one question for the new president will be whether he can persuade Russia to turn away from Iran.

The two countries have grown closer since 2015, when a group of nations lifted some sanctions on Iran in exchange for more transparency about its nuclear program. Russia sells Iran advanced air defense systems, and Iran provides its officers and militias to conquer the Syrian towns and cities indiscriminately bombed by Russian aircraft.

REUP from yesterday. Trump aims to test Russia’s alliance with Iran. https://t.co/4j1mHqL9e2 Remains to be seen if this wedge can be driven

— Eli Lake (@EliLake) 25 January 2017