Tehran, Moscow in Talks on Withdrawal of S-300 Lawsuit: Diplomat
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi said Tehran and Moscow are negotiating over cancellation of a lawsuit Iran filed against Russia for failing to deliver S-300 air defense systems to the Islamic Republic.
"We continue to negotiate with the Russians on recalling a lawsuit on S-300 that was filed by Tehran after Russia refused to transfer the systems on a specified date," Sarmadi was quoted by Sputnik News as saying.
Under a contract signed in 2007, Russia was required to provide Iran with at least five S-300 defense system batteries.
In 2010, then-President Dmitry Medvedev cancelled the contract as he came under strong US and Israeli pressure not to go ahead with the sale of the air defense system.
His pretext was that the sale was covered by the fourth round of the UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.
Iran filed a $4 billion lawsuit against Russia in an international arbitration court in Geneva in April 2011 after Russia suspended the 2007 contract.
In April this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to lift the ban on the S-300 missile system delivery to Tehran.
Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said his country will soon deliver the air defense system to Iran.
"The supplies of Russia's S-300 air defense system to Iran is due soon," he said on June 4, following talks with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif.