Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Thursday, April 16, 2015

Putin defends S-300 sale: ‘Iran shows flexibility’

16 April 2015, 3:20 pm 0 Edit

Russian President Vladimir Putin defends his move to approve the delivery of the long-range S-300 air defense missile system to Iran, saying the 2010 Russian ban was voluntary.

Speaking in a televised call-in show, he says his decision this week to lift the ban doesn’t contradict international sanctions against Iran, which are still in place despite a framework agreement reached earlier this month between Iran and six world powers over its nuclear program.

He said he made the move because Iran “has shown a great degree of flexibility and a desire to reach compromise.” He said the S-300 is a defensive weapon that shouldn’t pose any threat to Israel, and may in fact serve as “a deterrent factor in connection with the situation in Yemen.”

— AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) gestures as he speaks during his annual televised phone-in with the nation in central Moscow on April 16, 2015. (photo credit: Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP/RIA Novosti)