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Iran threatens Russia with legal action
A top Iranian military official says Tehran may respond to Moscow's failure to fulfill the S-300 delivery contract through legal action. "The Russians have failed to meet their commitment due to pressure form the Zionist Lobby and the Americans," Brigadier General Mohammad Hassan Mansourian said on Tuesday. "And as this agreement is an official one, it can be pursued through international legal bodies " Mansourian told reporters at the site of the Iran's five day large-scale defense drills. Iran on Sunday launched a five-day drill that will cover an area a third of the size of Iran and spread across the central, western and southern parts of the country. Tehran says the drill is aimed at strengthening the country's aerial defense against potential attacks on its nuclear facilities. In 2007 Tehran and Moscow signed an $800 million contract, which required Russia to deliver five S-300 systems to the Islamic Republic. Israel vociferously opposed the deal and has ever since been lobbying Russia not to deliver the sophisticated missile defense system. Russia is running behind schedule on its agreement to deliver to Iran the mobile land-based system designed to shoot down aircrafts and cruise missiles. The S-300 surface-to-air system, known as the SA-20 in the West, can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 km (75 miles) away. It also features high jamming immunity and is capable of simultaneously engaging up to 100 targets. In early 2007, Iran received a reported $1billionn-plus delivery of the sophisticated Russian Tor-M1 air-defense systems. Iran seeks the delivery of the sophisticated S-300 system to counter potential Israeli air strikes on its nuclear facilities. Tehran says the only aim of its nuclear program is the civilian applications of the technology. The US, Israel and their European allies -- Britain, France and Germany -- accuse the country of pursuing military purposes. Under the allegation, Israel has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran. Iran -- unlike Israel -- has signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has opened its nuclear facilities to inspection by the IAEA, whereas Israel is widely believed to possess some 200 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. Posted by: Fred 2009-11-25 |
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