Moscow, Tehran finalize S300 delivery contract

/By AzerNews/

By Sara Rajabova

Iran will withdraw legal claims against Russia, when the first part of a contract on supply of S-300 missile defense systems is implemented.

“It is about the S 300, the contract has already been signed,” said Sergey Chemezov, the general director of the State Corporation, RIA Novosti reported.

Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia and Iran were negotiating to sign a contract on the sale of Russian S-300 missile defense systems to Iran.

Under the $800 million contract, signed in 2007 by the two countries, Russia was to deliver the S-300s Iran. However, the contract was cancelled in the wake of UN sanctions.

In turn, Tehran went as far as filing a $4 billion lawsuit against Rosoboron Export, Russia’s intermediary agency for exports and imports of defense-related and dual use products, technologies and services, with Geneva's arbitration court. Iran said it has no intention to withdraw the lawsuit until it receives the missile systems.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in mid-April to lift a ban on the supply of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran.

The decision to deliver the missile systems came after Iran and the P5+1 group of countries reached a mutual understanding on Tehran’s nuclear program in Lausanne on April 2.

The recent nuclear deal between P5+1 and Iran, made it easier for the two countries to realize the delivery of missiles.