Iran hails ‘success’ in S-300 talks with Russia

Moscow and Tehran have concluded negotiations on the delivery of Russian S-300 missiles, which should take place “within a short period of time,” Iranian Deputy Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said during a visit to Moscow on Monday.

“The negotiations on this subject were completed successfully. I estimate that the delivery of the S-300s will take place in a relatively period of short time,” the Iranian deputy minister was quoted saying by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti.

“It will be done at the earliest possible opportunity,” he added after meeting his Russian counterpart Mikhail Bogdanov.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has yet to confirm those statements, only stating “the importance of maintaining a regular Russian-Iranian dialogue” in a published statement on Monday.

Until now, Tehran has spoken of the end of 2015 as the expected delivery date for the Russian S-300s, whose sale was banned in 2010 by former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev but was re-authorized in April by Vladimir Putin.

“Our opposition to these sales is long and public. We believe it’s unhelpful,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told reporters when the deal was first announced in April.

Israeli officials have been far less reserved in their criticism of the deal, with the director of the Defense Ministry’s political-security division, Amos Gilad, saying in April, “It’s an unfortunate decision which encourages aggression and the violent methods of the Iranian government.”

Russia signed a 2007 contract to sell Tehran the S-300 system, but the weaponry was never delivered amid strong objections by the United States and Israel.

Moscow blocked deliveries of the surface-to-air missiles to Tehran in 2010 after the United Nations slapped sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program barring hi-tech weapons sales.

The decision to lift the delivery freeze came after Tehran and international powers including Russia agreed to an outline deal at the beginning of April aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program.

Moscow believes the framework agreement signed between the P5+1 powers and Iran permits the delivery of the missiles without waiting for removal of sanctions intended to deter Tehran from developing its nuclear program.