Russia says no plans to transfer S-300 missiles to Iran
Putin spokesman denies report saying president decided to supply Tehran with five advanced air defense batteries for $800M
The spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin said 'no' when asked by reporters if Putin had instructed to go ahead with a deal to transfer S-300 missiles to Iran, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.
Russian newspaper Kommersant reported earlier in the day that Russia will offer Iran a new supply of S-300 missiles and assistance in the construction of an additional nuclear reactor in Bushehr.
Related stories:
- Russia sends warship with 'special cargo' toward Syria
- US to Russia: Selling S-300 missiles to Syria – mistake
The alleged proposal was made three years after a previous agreement under which Russia was expected to transfer five S-300 batteries to Iran was canceled.
According to a source within the Kremlin, Putin decided to grant an Iranian request to supply the Islamic Republic with the high-end S-300 air defense system with a deal estimated at $800 million which will also include coordinating the construction of an additional nuclear reactor in Bushehr.
S-300 air defense system (Photo: AFP)
According to the report, Putin has instructed his staff to prepare the agreements so as to discuss them with Iranian President Hassan Rohani during the two leaders' scheduled meeting on Friday during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in Kyrgyzstan.
In 2007, an S-300 deal was signed between the two countries. Three years later the UN Security Council sanctioned Iran, and as a result the deal's completion was halted. In the past, Israel and Western powers had expressed concern over the deal, partly fearing it would pose a threat to any aerial attack on Iran's disputed nuclear facilities.
According to Wednesday's report, the arms deal is conditioned on Iran's withdrawal of a $4 billion damages suit filed against Russia with the International Court of Arbitration in Geneva after Moscow backed out of the 2007 deal. At the time, Russia offered the Islamic Republic an alternative system instead of the S-300, but the Iranians refused.
AFP and AP contributed to this report
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
