Photo: ITAR-TASS/Dmitry Rogulin
Russia has begun the supplies of S-300 air defense systems to Iran, Russian presidential aide for military-technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin has told .
“The contract is in action. They’ve begun,” Kozhin said in reply to a question.
Iranian ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanai late last month said his country had received the first S-300 systems.
The head of the Rostec corporation (to which the Rosoboronexport company is affiliated) Sergey Chemezov said earlier the new contract for selling S-300 to Iran had taken effect at the beginning of November. The contract was concluded after Russian President Vladimir Putin had lifted the ban from selling this air defense system to Iran. Iran will get the S-300PMU-2 configuration.
Russia and Iran signed a contract in 2007 for the supply of five S-300PMU-1 battalions but in the autumn of 2010 then-President Dmitry Medvedev banned the supply of these systems to Tehran. The contract worth more than $800 million was annulled and the paid advance was returned to Iran.
Iran filed an almost $4 billion lawsuit against Russia at the Geneva Court of Arbitration over Russia’s nonfulfillment of the contract.
In the spring of 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted the ban on the supply of S-300 systems to Tehran.
There is no official information yet which modification of S-300 Iran plans to obtain: S-300PMU-1, which has been discontinued but may be specially produced for the Iranian side, or S-300VM.