S-300 Defense System Deliveries to Iran Remain Bilateral Issue, Lavrov Says

The issue of possible deliveries of S-300 missile defense systems to Iran remains a topic of bilateral relations between Moscow and Tehran, Sergei Lavrov said.

MOSCOW, January 21 (Sputnik) – The issue of Russia delivering S-300 missile defense systems to Iran is a topic for bilateral discussions and will remain that way, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

“I haven’t heard any announcements that the S-300 topic was being discussed. This has its own history and is a subject for our bilateral relations with Iran and that’s how this will be considered within the frameworks of our relations,” Lavrov said during a press conference in Moscow.

In 2007, Russia agreed to deliver five S-300PMU-1/SA-20 Gargoyle SAM systems (40 launchers) to Iran for about $800 million. However, in June 2009 the UN Security Council introduced sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Russia joined the sanctions and suspended military sales to Iran.

Tehran, in its turn, filed a lawsuit against Russia’s Rosoboronexport at the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration in Geneva. The sides reached an amicable settlement after Moscow promised to deliver additional Tor-M1E SAM missile systems at a later date.

On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Iranian Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Minister Hossein Dehghan signed in Tehran an intergovernmental agreement on military cooperation between Russia and Iran.

According to the president of the Russian Academy of Geopolitical Issues, Col. Gen. Leonid Ivashov, this agreement will facilitate military-technical cooperation between the two countries and specifically will lead to resuming talks on the sale of the S-300 missile defense systems.