MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia sees no reason
to stall on the sale of its S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Iran, the
Kremlin’s powerful Security Council said Sunday, hours before the
premier of Iran’s adversary Israel was due to visit Moscow.
The possible sale of Russian air defense
hardware to the Islamic Republic is a major irritant for both Israel and
close ally the United States. Both have pressed Moscow not to go ahead
with a deal that may help protect Iran’s nuclear facilities from
potential air strikes.
“There is a
signed contract (to supply S-300 missiles) which we must implement, but
deliveries have not started yet,” Vladimir Nazarov, deputy secretary of
Russia’s Security Council secretary, told Interfax news agency in an
interview.
“This deal is not
restricted by any international sanctions, because the talk is about
deliveries of an exclusively defensive weapon,” he said.
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