Iran To Start Receiving Russian S-300 Defense Systems In 2016

Iran will receive the first batch of Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system in the first quarter of this year, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan told state news PressTV.

The controversial deal for Moscow to deliver the S-300 system to Tehran was initially struck in 2007, but had been put on hold when the U.N. imposed sanctions on Iran in 2010. The talks resumed in November, two months before the sanctions were lifted.

Dehqan, who was speaking in a televised interview on Tuesday night, said that under a contract signed between Iran and Russia, the S-300 missile system will be delivered to Iran in two parts, adding that the first batch of the military hardware is ready for shipment.

The second batch will be delivered to the Islamic Republic over the first half of next year, Dehqan added.

Dehqan is expected to arrive in Moscow next week and is likely to sign a contract for the Su-30 purchase, Iranian and Russian media outlets reported Thursday.

Dehqan further added that Iran plans to upgrade Emad, the country’s first long-range missile which was successfully test-fired in October last year. The new version will be unveiled in next Iranian calendar year.