Thursday, December 27, 2007
Iran To Get Missile System from Russia
Iran's defense minister said on Wednesday that Iran had agreed to buy an S-300 surface-to-air missile system from Russia, Iranian media reported.
"The S-300 system, under a contract signed in the past with Russia, will be delivered to Iran," Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar told Fars News Agency, without giving details.
"The timing of the delivery ... will be announced later," he said. The ISNA news agency carried a similar report.
In a deal criticized by the West, which fears Tehran may want to build atomic bombs, Russia said earlier this year that it had completed a contract to deliver TOR-M1 tactical surface-to-air missiles to Iran.
The United States is pushing for a third set of U.N. sanctions against Iran over its uranium enrichment work, even though a U.S. intelligence report said Tehran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.
Iran says it has never had plans to build nuclear bombs, insisting its nuclear work is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity so that it can export more of its oil and gas.
Russia said on December 17 it had delivered the first shipment of nuclear fuel to the Bushehr power plant in southern Iran, a step Moscow and Washington said should persuade Tehran to shut down its own controversial uranium enrichment activities.
Iran's defense minister said on Wednesday that Iran had agreed to buy an S-300 surface-to-air missile system from Russia, Iranian media reported.
"The S-300 system, under a contract signed in the past with Russia, will be delivered to Iran," Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar told Fars News Agency, without giving details.
"The timing of the delivery ... will be announced later," he said. The ISNA news agency carried a similar report.
In a deal criticized by the West, which fears Tehran may want to build atomic bombs, Russia said earlier this year that it had completed a contract to deliver TOR-M1 tactical surface-to-air missiles to Iran.
The United States is pushing for a third set of U.N. sanctions against Iran over its uranium enrichment work, even though a U.S. intelligence report said Tehran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.
Iran says it has never had plans to build nuclear bombs, insisting its nuclear work is peaceful and aimed at generating electricity so that it can export more of its oil and gas.
Russia said on December 17 it had delivered the first shipment of nuclear fuel to the Bushehr power plant in southern Iran, a step Moscow and Washington said should persuade Tehran to shut down its own controversial uranium enrichment activities.
