US Troubled by Possible Russian Missile Sales to Iran
by VOA News April 13, 2015
The Obama administration expressed concern Monday over Russia's possible sale of sophisticated S-300 air defense systems to Iran, after President Vladimir Putin lifted a ban on supplying the advanced surface-to-air missile systems to the Islamic Republic.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the administration had previously made known its objection to Russia's possible sale of S-300s to Iran, and that Secretary of State John Kerry 'had the opportunity to raise these concerns once again in a recent conversation' with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Earnest said Russia understands the U.S. takes seriously the safety and security of its allies in the region.
Earlier Monday, the Kremlin's website reported that Putin had signed a decree lifting a ban on providing Iran with S-300s.
Moscow signed a contract worth $800 million back in 2007 to supply Tehran with five S-300 batteries. Russia, however, froze the contract three years later after the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on Iran.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Monday that the transfer of S-300 missiles to Iran would not violate existing U.N. Security Council sanctions, but that the U.S. believes 'this is not the time' for the sale given the unrest in the region. She also said the U.S. does not think such a transfer would affect the unity of the six powers that are negotiating with Iran.
Lavrov: no more rationale for ban
Explaining the decision to lift the ban on providing S-300s to Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that given the progress reached between Iran and the six P5+1 world powers (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany) recently in nuclear talks, the rationale for the international embargo on supplying Tehran with S-300s, and Russia's own ban, had 'completely disappeared.'
Lavrov added that the S-300 is 'exclusively defensive in nature, not adapted for offensive purposes and will not jeopardize the security of any state in the region, including, of course, Israel.'
Meanwhile, Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said Monday that Russia's lifting of the ban on providing S-300s to Iran was a 'direct result' of the 'legitimacy' Iran is receiving from the framework nuclear deal, and proof that Iran will use the lifting of sanctions to arm itself rather than improve the living conditions of its people.
Also Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow is supplying Iran with grain, equipment and building materials under an ongoing barter agreement.
He said the barter deal was 'very significant' in scale.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said proposals 'to essentially barter Iranian oil for Russian goods' are under discussion but have not been implemented. He said that if such a deal moves forward, it could raise 'serious concerns' by interfering with the sanctions regime imposed on Iran by the United States and other Western nations.
High hopes
Sources told Reuters more than a year ago that a deal worth up to $20 billion was being discussed with Tehran and would involve Russia buying up to 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil a day in exchange for Russian equipment and goods.
Ryabkov also suggested Russia had high hopes that its steady support for Iran would pay off in energy cooperation once international sanctions against the Islamic republic are lifted.
He also reiterated Moscow's line that an arms embargo on Iran should be lifted once a final nuclear deal is sealed.
One upper house lawmaker asked Ryabkov whether lifting sanctions on Tehran could undermine Russia's position on global energy markets, including as the main gas supplier to Europe.
"I am not confident as yet that the Iranian side would be ready to carry out supplies of natural gas from its fields quickly and in large quantities to Europe. This requires infrastructure that is difficult to build," he said, according to Reuters.
Some material for this report came from Reuters.
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