Russia may give Iran S-300 missile system

Reuters/MoscowRussia might deliver a long-overdue S-300 air defence missile system to Iran, honouring a contract that was cancelled in 2010 following strong pressure from the West, Iranian and Russian media said yesterday. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu is visiting Tehran and signed an agreement with Iranian Defence Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan to boost co-operation, Iran’s Fars semi-official news agency said. Fars said the two countries would resolve problems with the delivery of the advanced missile system, while Russia’s RIA state news confirmed the issue was once again under discussion. “A step was taken in the direction of co-operation on the economy and arms technology, at least for such defensive systems such as the S-300 and S-400. Probably we will deliver them,” RIA quoted Colonel General Leonid Ivashov as saying. Ivashov is the former head of the defence minister’s department of international co-operation. No further details were immediately available. Dmitry Medvedev, then the Russian president, cancelled a contract to supply Tehran with the advanced missile system in 2010 in the wake of UN sanctions imposed on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme. The United States and Israel heavily lobbied Russia to block the missile sale, saying it could be used to shield Iran’s nuclear facilities from possible future air strikes. Iran in turn has taken Russia to arbitration to finalise the sale. Ivashov said that Russia’s ties with Iran had strengthened recently due to Western sanctions that they are both now facing and added that the two countries were looking to expand their co-operation in other areas.