Iran Wants Russia To Complete S-300 Defense System Delivery

Iranian lawmakers announced on Friday that the issue of Russian S-300 air-defense system delivery to Iran could still be resolved. Iran is hoping Moscow will fulfill its contractual obligation and deliver the system to Tehran, said lawmaker Mohammad-Reza Mohseni-Sani. He added that Iran expects Russia to not support the “unjust” UN Security Council sanctions against the Islamic Republic. “Moscow must maintain its independence from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” Mohseni-Sani was quoted as saying. He suggested that Russia’s refusal to deliver the S-300 system under the pretext that it would contravene the UN Security Council resolutions against Iran as a tactical move that could not “be an obstacle to the strong relations between the two countries [Russia and Iran]”. The $800-million contract to supply Iran with the missile system was signed in late 2007. Russia was to deliver five S-300PMU-1 battalions to Tehran. However, in 2010, then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree terminating the contract in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1929, which bans supply to Iran of conventional weapons including missiles and missile systems, tanks, attack helicopters, warplanes and ships.