Russian Federation finalized contract for delivery of air defense missile systems to Iran

Russia and Iran have penned a long-awaited contract for the delivery of Moscow’s advanced S-300 air-defense missile systems, a senior Russian defense industry official told reporters at the Dubai Airshow on Monday, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Iran filed a case in global court against Russian Federation for not meeting its end of the deal, but Chemezov added that the country would drop charges once Russian Federation began fulfilling the new agreement.

According to the BBC, the S-300 is a highly capable, long-range surface-to-air missile complex, with fully mobile units that are capable of targeting aircraft and can engage ballistic missiles. “This is defence equipment”.

Under the $800 million contract, signed in 2007 by the two countries, Russian Federation was to deliver the S-300s Iran. “And we are ready to offer this defence equipment to any country”, Chemezov was quoted as saying by Reuters later.

In 2010, then-president Dmitry Medvedev cancelled the contract as he came under strong United States and Israeli pressure not to go ahead with the sale of the weapons system, but his pretext was that the sale was covered by the fourth round of the UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.

Yan Novikov, the chief executive of Russian Almaz-Antey, confirmed the removal of all restrictions on S-300 deliveries to Tehran.

Chemezov didn’t elaborate exactly which variations of the S-300 missile defense systems will be supplied to Iran. “All restrictions have been lifted by the political authorities. When there is a contract, we will supply the system, including to Iran”, Novikov said in September.