A Kremlin source said on Friday the sale of S-300 air defense systems fall under the new UN Security Council's sanctions against Tehran, but the Russian foreign minister said it was up to the president to make the final decision.
Resolution 1929, adopted on Wednesday, imposes a fourth round of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, and includes tougher financial controls and an expanded arms embargo.
"The S-300s fall under these sanctions," the source said, adding that these weapons cannot be supplied to Iran.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded immediately to the statement saying the issue could be resolved only through a decree issued by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
"A decree will be prepared to determine which deliveries and which weapons do not fall under the resolution," Lavrov said, adding that "no one had been asked to interpret the provisions of the resolution," until the decree was complete.
Russia initially said the delivery of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Iran would not be affected by the new UN sanctions against Iran since they are not included in the UN Register of Conventional Arms.
However, experts from the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) announced on Friday that the S-300 system comes under the new set of UN sanctions.
"An analysis of the provisions of the UN Security Council Resolution 1929 adopted on June 9, 2010, conducted by the FSMTC experts, shows that the restrictive measures contained in the document apply to the delivery of S-300 air defense systems to Iran as well," the agency said in a statement.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia would adhere strictly to the provisions of the UN resolution.
Moscow signed a contract on supplying Iran with at least five S-300 systems in December 2005, but delivery of the advanced weaponry has so far been delayed.
The United States and Israel, which have not ruled out an attack on Iran over its nuclear program, have urged Russia not to deliver the missiles to Tehran.
The S-300 contract is worth some $800 million, while Russian officials estimate the forfeit penalty for the S-300 contract at $400 million.
MOSCOW, June 11 (RIA Novosti)
