WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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Iran said to receive S-300 air defense systems from Russia
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-22 09:41 TEHRAN -- Iran will receive the S-300 air defense systems from Russia soon, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. Iran and Russia, after several years of negotiations on the purchase of the air defense systems, have concluded a deal, Esmaeil Kosari, Iranian deputy chairman of Parliamentary Commission on National Security and Foreign Policy, was quoted as saying. He said the S-300 air defense systems will be deployed in Iran to strengthen national defense on border areas. Russia's RIA news agency quoted confidential sources as saying on Wednesday that Russia was currently fulfilling a contract to deliver S-300 air defense systems to Iran. "Moscow has earlier met its obligations on supplying Tor-M1 systems to Iran and is currently implementing a contract to deliver S-300 systems," RIA reported. The Interfax news agency quoted Israeli Defense Ministry envoy Amos Gilad, who was visiting Moscow on Friday, as saying that Israel expects Russia to respect his country's interests. "The deliveries of dangerous armaments to our enemies won't serve the interests of peace and, for instance, can help Iran wipe Israel off the face of the earth," Gilad said. On Israel's negative reaction to the Tehran-Moscow agreement, Kosari said "Israel is trying to create obstacle to Iran's progress." "But independent countries including Iran have national sovereignty and they make decision on their ties with other states," he said. Kosari claimed that Israelis are not able to damage Iran-Russia friendly relations. The S-300 is a series of Russia's longer range surface-to-air missile systems. It was developed as a system against aircraft and cruise missiles for Soviet Union's anti-air defense branch of the military, but later variations were also developed to intercept ballistic missiles. It is more powerful than the Tor-M1 missile defense system which Russia has delivered to Iran. |
