Iran’s DM Sees Good Signs in Russia’s Lifting of Ban on S-300 Delivery
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said Russia’s decision to repeal a ban prohibiting the delivery of S-300 missile air defense systems to Iran signifies the political will of leaders in Tehran and Moscow to promote cooperation in all fields.
“Enhancement of bilateral cooperation (with Russia) and expansion of cooperation with the other neighboring countries in diverse fields can greatly contribute to the establishment of stability and sustainable security in the region,” Dehqan said on Monday.
“The ultra-regional threats and the spread of terrorist activities of the Takfiri groups have increased the necessity for the expansion of such cooperation,” the defense minister added.
He also noted that the fight against extremism “has been always a main axis of consultation and cooperation between Iran and Russia.”
Dehqan made the comments in reaction to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Monday order to lift the ban on the S-300 missile system delivery to Iran.
Russia signed the $800 million contract to sell Iran the S-300 missile system in 2007, but suspended the delivery three years later because of strong objections from the US and Israel. The ban had been introduced by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in 2010.
Commenting on Kremlin’s new decision, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow’s voluntary embargo on S-300 deliveries was no longer necessary, due to the progress in Iran’s nuclear talks recently made in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
He added that in the view of current events in the Middle East, modern air defense systems are crucial to Iran for defensive purposes.
Meanwhile, Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the missile system could be shipped to Iran at any moment.
