Russian Envoy to Iran Hopes Moscow to Fulfill S-300 Delivery Before 2017

Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagaryan expressed hope on Thursday that Russia would complete the supply of S-300 air defense systems to Iran by the end of 2016.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On April 11, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia had made the first contracted delivery of the S-300 systems as scheduled. Iran unveiled its first S-300 systems during an annual Army Day parade in mid-April.

"I very much hope that the Russian side will fulfill all of its contract obligations and I hope that this is done by the end of the year," Dzhagaryan told reporters.

Earlier in June, the Iranian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik that the implementation of the Russia-Iran agreement on the delivery of S-300 air defense systems is proceeding as planned, with Tehran counting on all systems being delivered by the end of the year.

The $900-million Moscow-Tehran contract to deliver five Russian S-300 systems to Iran was signed in 2007. It was suspended after the adoption of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran in mid-2010.

In April 2015, Russia resumed the talks on S-300 deliveries following a framework agreement on the landmark deal ensuring the peaceful nature of Tehran’s nuclear program. The first delivery under the contract took place earlier in April.