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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Russia offers Iran new missiles despite sanctions |
2015-02-24 |
Putin's latest move to stick it to O&Co. Russia has offered Iran advanced surface-to-air missiles after scrapping a similar deal in 2010 because of UN sanctions over Tehran's nuclear programme, the state defence company said Monday. Any such a deal is likely to go down badly in Washington as Western countries seek to keep up the pressure on Iran to agree a comprehensive deal on its nuclear activities. Sergei Chemezov, head of the Rostec corporation which manages Russia's defence industry, said Moscow has offered to supply Antey-2500 missiles, an upgraded version of the S-300 air defence system that figured in the previous contract. "We have offered them the Antey-2500," Chemezov was quoted as saying by RIA-Novosti news agency. But he added: "The decision has not been made yet." Moscow signed a contract in 2007 to deliver S-300 missiles to Iran worth $800 million. The deal was intensely criticised by the United States and Israel, and Moscow later dropped it as being in breach of UN sanctions. A UN resolution adopted in 2010 bans the supply, sale or transfer to Iran of missiles or missiles systems. Chemezov said the Antey-2500 is a more modern version of the S-300, which Russia no longer makes. The same surface-to-air missiles were reportedly delivered to Venezuela in 2013. Now under Western sanctions itself over the conflict in Ukraine, Russia -- a permanent member of the UN Security Council -- has strengthened its alliance with Iran. During a visit to Tehran by Russia's defence minister last month, the two countries signed a military cooperation agreement touted as a joint response to US "interference". |
Posted by:Alaska Paul |