Breaking news
Iran still hopes the delivery of S-300 air defence missile system by Russia 1607121.
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Defense News - Iran |
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| Monday, July 16, 2012, 08:27 AM | |||
| Iran still hopes the delivery of S-300 air defence missile system by Russia. | |||
A
senior Iranian legislator reiterated that the delivery of S-300
air-defense systems to Tehran by Russia is not banned by the resolutions
approved by the UN Security Council against Iran and Moscow should present
the system to Iran according to the contract. |
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Referring
to recent remarks by Igor Korotchenko, director of the Moscow-based Center
for Analysis of World Arms Trade, who advised Russia to resume exporting
the defense system to Iran, the lawmaker added that since Russia's foreign
policy has changed under President Vladimir Putin, Iran hopes Moscow will
deliver the S-300
defense system.
Aqa Mohammadi emphasized that the contract for delivering the S-300 defense system should not be affected by illegal sanctions imposed by the US and the European Union against Iran. Russian sources said earlier this month that the country is mulling over its 2010 decision on withholding the sales of the complicated S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran if it comes to lose its regional ally, Syria. Under a contract signed in 2007, Russia was required to provide Iran with at least five S-300 air-defense systems. However, Moscow's continued delays in delivering the defense system drew criticism from the Islamic Republic on several occasions. Russia has been refusing to deliver the system to Iran under the pretext that the system is covered by the fourth round of UN Security Council resolutions against Iran. Then-President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree prohibiting the sale of Russian weapons, including S-300s, to Iran in 2010 after the United Nations imposed sanctions against the Islamic republic. Iran dismissed Russia's justification that the ban on the delivery of the S-300 missile system to Iran was in line with the (US-engineered) UN Security Council Resolution 1929, and stated that this is an air defense system which is not included in Resolution 1929. Iran then sued Russia for breach of the contract and made Moscow return its advance payment along with its interest fees in May. |
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