Russia lifts ban on sale of S-300 missiles to Iran

Europe, News April 13, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

Russian President Vladimir V. Putin lifted a ban on sales of sophisticated S-300 Russian air defense missiles to Iran, the Kremlin said, moving swiftly to take advantage of a possible thaw in relations due to a potential deal curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

The delivery of the S-300 surface-to-air missile system to Iran, a deal suspended five years ago in the face of United Nations sanctions, could significantly bolster Iran’s defenses against any future attack on its nuclear facilities.

“[The presidential] decree lifts the ban on transit through Russian territory, including airlift, and the export from the Russian Federation to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also the transfer to the Islamic Republic of Iran outside the territory of the Russian Federation, both by sea and by air, of air defense missile systems S-300,” says the information note accompanying the document.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement that the sale was put on hold “entirely voluntarily” to aid the talks on Iran’s nuclear programme.

“At this stage, we believe the need for this kind of embargo, and a separate voluntary Russian embargo, has completely disappeared,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. “I note that the S-300 air-defense missile system, which is exclusively of a defensive nature, is not suited for the purposes of attack and doesn’t threaten the security of any governments in the region, including, of course, Israel.”

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan says Russia’s decision to lift a ban on the delivery of S-300 missile system to Iran indicates the political will of the two countries’ officials to improve cooperation in all fields.

“The expansion of cooperation [with Russia] and improving cooperation with other neighboring countries in various fields can be very effective in establishing sustainable stability and security in the region,” Dehqan said.

“Extra-regional threats and the spread of terrorism by Takfiri groups have increased the need to further expand cooperation [between the two countries]” he added.

In 2007, Russia signed a contract with Iran worth roughly $800 million to deliver a S-300 surface-to-air missile installation—a mobile, long-range system that can detect and destroy ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and low-flying aircraft. But the U.S. and Israel pushed the Kremlin to drop the deal, expressing concern that Tehran could use the sophisticated system to protect its emerging nuclear facilities from an attack.