Iran urges Russia to deliver overdue missiles

16:2813/11/2009

MOSCOW, November 13, 2009 (RIA Novosti) -

A top Iranian military official on Friday urged Russia to honor its bilateral military contract and deliver the promised S-300 surface-to-air missiles, the Mehr news agency reported.

Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi said Russia was six months behind schedule with deliveries of advanced air-defense systems.

"Why haven't they delivered the S-300 missiles? Six months have now passed since they were supposed to deliver them," he said.

Russia signed a contract with Iran on the supply of S-300 air defense systems to the Islamic Republic in December 2005. However, there have been no official reports on the start of the contract's implementation since then.

The possible deliveries of S-300 missiles to Iran have aroused serious concern in the West and in Israel.

"Russia has to fulfill the contract and not be influenced by Zionist pressure," Firouzabadi said.

A Russian government official on Thursday said Moscow would not freeze the contract as a concession to the United States.

The official denied media speculations that Russia could freeze the Iranian contract in exchange for Washington's decision not to place interceptor missiles in Poland and a missile tracking radar in the Czech Republic.

The latest version of the S-300 series is the S-300PMU2 Favorit, which has a range of up to 195 kilometers (about 120 miles) and can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes from 10 meters to 27 kilometers.

It is considered one of the world's most effective all-altitude regional air defense systems, comparable in performance to the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot system.

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi urged Russia on Wednesday to fulfill its contract on the supply of S-300 air defense systems to Iran.

S-300 missile deliveries to Iran under review — Russian official

01:3512/11/2009

MOSCOW, November 12, 2009 (RIA Novosti) -

Russia is still considering the possible deliveries of advance air defense systems to Iran and will not freeze the contract as a concession to the United States, a government official said.

Russia signed a contract with Iran on the supply of S-300 air defense systems to the Islamic Republic in December 2005. However, there have been no official reports about the start of the contract's implementation since then.

"The issue of S-300 deliveries [to Iran] is still under discussion. There are some technical and other problems," said Konstantin Biryulin, deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation.

The possible deliveries of S-300 missiles to Iran have aroused serious concern in the West and in Israel.

The official denied media speculations that Russia could freeze the Iranian contract in exchange for Washington's decision not to place interceptor missiles in Poland and a missile tracking radar in the Czech Republic.

"I do not understand why there is so much media frenzy over the deliveries of S-300 to this region...Russia has the right to decide on its own whether to deliver these systems to any country which is not under the UN Security Council's sanctions," Biryulin said.

He also denied the link between recent talks on delivery of S-300 systems to Saudi Arabia and the Iranian contract. Media reports earlier speculated that Russia could sell S-300 to Saudi Arabia instead of Iran to compensate for potential financial losses.

"If Saudi Arabia asks us to deliver S-300s, we will consider the request without linking it to other countries. Russia has never delivered military equipment to a country while hurting the interests of another country," the official said.

The latest version of the S-300 series is the S-300PMU2 Favorit, which has a range of up to 195 kilometers (about 120 miles) and can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes from 10 meters to 27 kilometers.

It is considered one of the world's most effective all-altitude regional air defense systems, comparable in performance to the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot system.

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi urged Russia on Wednesday to fulfill its contract on the supply of S-300 air defense systems to Iran.

Iran urges Russia to fulfill S-300 missile supply contract

17:4311/11/2009

TEHRAN, November 11, 2009 (RIA Novosti) -

Russia has to fulfill its contract on the supply of S-300 defensive surface-to-air missile systems to Iran, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Wednesday.

"We have a contract with Russia to buy S-300 missiles. I don't think it is right for Russia to be seen in the world as a country which does not fulfill its contractual obligations," Vahidi was quoted by Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) as saying.

Russia signed a contract with Iran on the supply of S-300 missiles to the Islamic Republic in December 2005. However, there have been no official reports about the start of the contract's implementation since then.

In December 2008, the Iranian media reported that Russia had started delivering elements of the advanced version of the S-300 missile. However, Russia's Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation has denied such reports.

The latest version of the S-300 series is the S-300PMU2 Favorit, which has a range of up to 195 kilometers (about 120 miles) and can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes from 10 meters to 27 kilometers.

It is considered one of the world's most effective all-altitude regional air defense systems, comparable in performance to the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot system.

Russia to lose 'billions' if S-300 missile deal with Iran scrapped

19:3121/10/2009

MOSCOW, October 21, 2009 (RIA Novosti) -

Russia will sustain significant losses if it decides to tear up a contract to deliver S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Iran, an unnamed defense industry official said on Wednesday.

"The fulfillment of the contract to deliver S-300 complexes to Iran fully depends on the country's leadership," he said.

Russian military expert Konstantin Makiyenko previously said the decision not to go ahead with the contract would cost Russia about $1 billion in lost profits plus $300-400 million in fines and penalties.

The defense industry official stressed that the S-300 systems were defensive weapons.

"They are not under any embargo, and Russia is free to make its own decision on whether or not to supply them to one country or another," he said.

Reports about possible deliveries of S-300 missiles to Iran have aroused serious concern in the West and in Israel.

Iranian media, citing senior security officials, have repeatedly reported that Russia has started delivering elements of the advanced version of the S-300 missile to Tehran under a 2005 contract, but Russian arms industry officials have invariably denied such reports.

The latest version of the S-300 family is the S-300PMU2 Favorit, which has a range of up to 195 kilometers (about 120 miles) and can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes from 10 meters to 27 kilometers.

It is considered one of the world's most effective all-altitude regional air defense systems, comparable in performance to the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot system.