Russia and Iran to boost military cooperation and discuss possible delivery of S-300 missile systems

Defence & Security News - Iran / Russia
 
 
Russia and Iran to boost military cooperation and discuss possible delivery of S-300 missile systems
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu signed a military cooperation deal with Iran on Tuesday, January 21, 2015 to boost military cooperation and collaboration in personnel training and counter-terrorism activities. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan, signed the document during a visit by Russia’s top brass to Iran’s capital on Tuesday.
     
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu signed a military cooperation deal with Iran on Tuesday, January 21, 2015 to boost military cooperation and collaboration in personnel training and counter-terrorism activities. Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan, signed the document during a visit by Russia’s top brass to Iran’s capital on Tuesday.
A launch of the S-300 missile
     

Under the new agreement, the broadened cooperation will include military personnel training exchanges, increased counter-terrorism cooperation and enhanced capabilities for both countries’ Navies to use each other’s ports more frequently.

According to the Iranian news agency FARS, the two sides have also resolved problems concerning the delivery of Russia's S-300 missile defense systems to Iran. However, Moscow is yet to make an official comment regarding the defense system.

The $800 million contract to deliver S- 300 air defense missile systems to Iran was cancelled in 2010 by then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, to fall in line with UN sanctions imposed on Iran due to its disputed nuclear program. In turn, Tehran has filed a currently pending $4 billion lawsuit against Russia to Geneva's arbitration court.

The possible renewal of talks concerning missile sales has been confirmed by a former head of the Defense Ministry department of international cooperation, according to the RIA Novosti news agency.

"A step has been taken in the direction of economic and military technologies cooperation, at least such defensive systems as the S-300 and S-400 we would probably be delivering," Colonel General Leonid Ivashov, who is also the president of the International Center for Geopolitical Analysis, said, which was reported by RIA. Sanctions from the West have brought the two countries' positions on defense cooperation closer, Ivashov added.

The S-300 (NATO code name SA-10 Grumble) is a series of initially Soviet and later Russian long range surface-to-air defense missile systems. The latest variant, the S-300PMU2 Favorit can engage targets flying from 10 m to 27 km above the surface at a speed of up to 10,000 km/h. It is claimed that it has a kill ratio ranging from 0.8 to 0.93 against aircraft and from 0.8 to 0.98 against Tomahawk-class cruise missiles.