Iran expects delivery of Russian missiles by end of the year

MOSCOW - Iran expects Russia to deliver the S-300 air defense missile system by the end of the year, the head of the Iranian security council said Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday lifted a five-year ban on delivery of the high-tech missile system to Iran, drawing criticism from the United States and Israel.

Iran had responded to the ban by filing a lawsuit with a court in Geneva seeking $4 billion in damages for breach of contract.

Ali Shamkhani, who heads Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Tuesday in Moscow that the lawsuit will be withdrawn only after delivery of the S-300s, which he hoped would happen by the end of the year.

His Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, said delivery would depend on the Russian manufacturers.