MOSCOW, December 17 (RIA Novosti) – Iran believes its contract to buy S-300 missile defense systems from Russia is legitimate and expects it to be fulfilled, Iran’s ambassador to Russia said Tuesday.
Mehdi Sanai said the systems “are defensive, so no international laws, norms and rules are violated.”
Sanai said that he had discussed the issue with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the latter’s visit to Iran, and noted Moscow’s “good will in its resolution.”
“We hope the armaments will be delivered to Iran,” Sanai said.
Russia agreed a $800 million deal in late 2007 to supply five S-300 systems to Iran, then suspended the contract in 2010 in response to a UN Security Council resolution that banned certain arms exports to Tehran as part of a new round of sanctions over its nuclear program. Iran responded by filing a $4 billion lawsuit with an arbitration court in Geneva against the Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
Sanai told a RIA Novosti press conference that his country hopes the Group of Six international negotiators on Iran’s nuclear program – the US, Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany – led by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will stick to preliminary agreements made with Tehran in Geneva last month.
Iran agreed in November to restrict its nuclear program, cease production of highly enriched uranium and allow international inspectors into its nuclear sites. In return, Iran would receive an easing of sanctions worth some $7 billion.
