“I haven’t heard any announcements that the S-300 topic was being discussed. This has its own history and is a subject for our bilateral relations with Iran and that’s how this will be considered within the frameworks of our relations,” Lavrov said during a press conference in Moscow.
In 2007, Russia agreed to deliver five S-300PMU-1/SA-20 Gargoyle SAM systems (40 launchers) to Iran for about $800 million. However, in June 2009 the UN Security Council introduced sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear program. Russia joined the sanctions and suspended military sales to Iran.
On Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Iranian Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Minister Hossein Dehghan signed in Tehran an intergovernmental agreement on military cooperation between Russia and Iran.
According to the president of the Russian Academy of Geopolitical Issues, Col. Gen. Leonid Ivashov, this agreement will facilitate military-technical cooperation between the two countries and specifically will lead to resuming talks on the sale of the S-300 missile defense systems.
