• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Russia asks for compromise with Iran over breached S-300 contract

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Moscow, May 30, IRNA -- Managing Director of Roos Technology, the Russian state technological complex, Sergei Victorovich Chemezov here Thursday asked for reaching a judiciary compromise with Iran over the S300 contract signed with Tehran.

According to IRNA, Russia's semi-official RIA Novosty news agency quoted Chemezov Thursday as saying, 'Russia's chance for winning the lawsuit filed by Iran at Geneva International Court of Justice in S300 case are very trivial.'

Iran has filed a complaint lawsuit against Russia's Roos Abaron Export at the Geneva International Court of Justice for breaching the terms of selling a number of Russian-made S300 defense missiles.

Chemezov said, 'Presently the court hearings are in process at Geneva and unfortunately Moscow's chances for winning the case are very low.'

He added, 'We are now trying to sign a revised version of the contract with Iran aimed at reaching compromise, but thus far we have been unsuccessful in this effort.'

The Russian official said, 'When Russia refrained from delivering the S300 missiles to Iran against the terms of its signed contract, the US officials' tone of speech with Moscow changed meaningfully.'

Chemezov further elaborated, 'The American officials say that the Russian officials decided independently to cancel their S300 sales contract with Iran and the UN Security Council decision had no reference to this defense weapon, and therefore Moscow should deal with the matter all alone.'

The S300 air defense system, worth some $800 million was signed between Iran and Russia in the year 2007.

Russia several times has delayed exporting the S300 missiles to Iran on different pretexts, such as technical difficulties, and eventually in June of 2010 and after a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran, Moscow openly announced its decision to cancel the S300 missiles export to Iran contract unilaterally.

The former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev had promised to review Russia's planned sale of its sophisticated S-300 air defense system to Iran.

Amid repeated US objections over the contract, Russian officials once even emphasized over the last months that none of the S-300 systems have been delivered to Tehran.

The S-300 (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) is a series of initially Soviet and later Russian long range surface-to-air missile systems produced by NPO Almaz, all based on the initial S-300P version. The S-300 system was developed to defend against aircraft and cruise missiles for the Soviet Air Defense Forces. Subsequent variations were developed to intercept ballistic missiles.

The S-300 system was first deployed by the Soviet Union in 1979, designed for the air defense of large industrial and administrative facilities, military bases, and control of airspace against enemy strike aircraft.

2329**2050