Russia has lifted a ban on supplying Iran with a sophisticated air defence missile system, the Kremlin has said.
Delivery of the S-300s was cancelled in 2010 after the UN imposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.
But the Russian president gave the go-ahead after Tehran struck an interim deal with world powers to curb nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Despite the sanctions, Russia and Iran have remained close allies.
The $800m (£545m) contract to deliver the system was heavily criticised at the time by Israel and the US, who feared it could be used to protect Iranian nuclear sites from air strikes.
When it was cancelled, Iran filed a lawsuit seeking billions of dollars in damages.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement that the sale was put on hold "entirely voluntarily" to aid the talks on Iran's nuclear programme.
Delivery of the S-300s was cancelled in 2010 after the UN imposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.
But the Russian president gave the go-ahead after Tehran struck an interim deal with world powers to curb nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Despite the sanctions, Russia and Iran have remained close allies.
The $800m (£545m) contract to deliver the system was heavily criticised at the time by Israel and the US, who feared it could be used to protect Iranian nuclear sites from air strikes.
When it was cancelled, Iran filed a lawsuit seeking billions of dollars in damages.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a statement that the sale was put on hold "entirely voluntarily" to aid the talks on Iran's nuclear programme.
The Russian defence ministry said it was now ready to supply the S-300 equipment "promptly", an official there said, quoted by Interfax.
The delivery would be a "step forward", for Russian and Iranian relations, the Iranian Deputy Defence Minister Reza Talainik told the Tasnim news agency.
"I think Russia has returned to the first step and is prepared to act upon its previous undertakings. We hope it will do so and show us its good will," he said.
Israel reacted with dismay to the news.
"This is a direct result of the legitimacy that Iran obtained from the emerging nuclear deal,'' said Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz.
He said it was "proof" Iran planned to use relief from sanctions for arms, rather than the welfare of the Iranian people.
The White House said US Secretary of State John Kerry had raised concerns with Mr Lavrov about the announcement, spokesman Josh Earnest said, without elaborating.
The delivery would be a "step forward", for Russian and Iranian relations, the Iranian Deputy Defence Minister Reza Talainik told the Tasnim news agency.
"I think Russia has returned to the first step and is prepared to act upon its previous undertakings. We hope it will do so and show us its good will," he said.
Israel reacted with dismay to the news.
"This is a direct result of the legitimacy that Iran obtained from the emerging nuclear deal,'' said Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz.
He said it was "proof" Iran planned to use relief from sanctions for arms, rather than the welfare of the Iranian people.
The White House said US Secretary of State John Kerry had raised concerns with Mr Lavrov about the announcement, spokesman Josh Earnest said, without elaborating.
The S-300 is a surface-to-air missile system that can be used against multiple targets including jets, or to shoot down other missiles.
Russia was one of six major world powers to reach an outline agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme.
The sides have set a 30 June deadline to reach a comprehensive deal.
Tough negotiations lie ahead, in particular on how and when to lift sanctions.
Meanwhile,Mr Kerry is due to brief Congress, as the Obama administration attempts to persuade opponents not to block the deal's implementation.
He said they should "hold their fire" until they see a final agreement.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has cautioned against seeing the interim agreement as a guarantee of a final deal.
Russia was one of six major world powers to reach an outline agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme.
The sides have set a 30 June deadline to reach a comprehensive deal.
Tough negotiations lie ahead, in particular on how and when to lift sanctions.
Meanwhile,Mr Kerry is due to brief Congress, as the Obama administration attempts to persuade opponents not to block the deal's implementation.
He said they should "hold their fire" until they see a final agreement.
Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has cautioned against seeing the interim agreement as a guarantee of a final deal.
Pentagon: Iran Creating "Suicide" Drones that Threaten Israel, U.S. Navy - Rowan Scarborough (Washington Times)
Iran has placed an emphasis on putting attack drones into the sky, including "suicide" aircraft that increase risks for Israel and U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf, according to a new analysis from the U.S. Army's Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth.
Iran also is sharing new drone technologies with Hamas and Hizbullah, the Army study says.
In February, Hamas launched three Ababil-3 reconnaissance drones into Israeli airspace and then pulled them back once Israeli air defense fighters were launched.
Iranian-designed drones also have penetrated Israel in the north from Lebanon.
Air Force Lt. Gen. (ret.) Thomas McInerney said drones in sufficient numbers could inflict damage similar to Japanese kamikazes in World War II.
"Even absent explosives, an Iranian willingness to collide drones with helicopters and jet fighters could hamper routine naval and army aviation along the borders of Iran," noted Michael Rubin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
Iran has placed an emphasis on putting attack drones into the sky, including "suicide" aircraft that increase risks for Israel and U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf, according to a new analysis from the U.S. Army's Foreign Military Studies Office at Fort Leavenworth.
Iran also is sharing new drone technologies with Hamas and Hizbullah, the Army study says.
In February, Hamas launched three Ababil-3 reconnaissance drones into Israeli airspace and then pulled them back once Israeli air defense fighters were launched.
Iranian-designed drones also have penetrated Israel in the north from Lebanon.
Air Force Lt. Gen. (ret.) Thomas McInerney said drones in sufficient numbers could inflict damage similar to Japanese kamikazes in World War II.
"Even absent explosives, an Iranian willingness to collide drones with helicopters and jet fighters could hamper routine naval and army aviation along the borders of Iran," noted Michael Rubin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
Where Is the Evidence that Iran Wants to Change? - David Brooks (New York Times)
We learned that Iran's supreme leader still regards the U.S. as his enemy. The audience chanted "Death to America" during his speech, and Khamenei himself dismissed America's "devilish" intentions. He thinks the U.S. is the embodiment of evil.
We learned that the West wants a deal more than Khamenei does. Throughout the speech, his words dripped with a lack of enthusiasm for the whole enterprise. President Obama is campaigning for a deal, while Khamenei is unmoved.
We learned that the ayatollah is demanding total trust from us while offering maximum contempt in return. He demanded that the West permanently end all sanctions on the very day the deal is signed. He insisted that no inspectors could visit Iranian military facilities. This would make a hash of verification and enforcement.
Khamenei's speech suggests that Iran still fundamentally sees itself in a holy war with the West, a war that is still a fundamental clash of values and interests. His speech suggests, as Henry Kissinger and George Shultz put it in a brilliant op-ed essay in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, that there is no congruence of interests between us and Iran.
If Iran still has revolutionary intent, then no amount of treaty subtlety will enforce this deal. It will continue to work on its advanced nuclear technology even during the agreement. It will inevitably use nuclear weaponry, or even the threat of eventual nuclear weaponry, to advance its apocalyptic interests. Every other regional power will prepare for the worst, and we'll get a nuclear-arms race in a region of disintegrating nation-states.
At some point, there has to be a scintilla of evidence that Iran wants to change. Khamenei's speech offers none.
We learned that Iran's supreme leader still regards the U.S. as his enemy. The audience chanted "Death to America" during his speech, and Khamenei himself dismissed America's "devilish" intentions. He thinks the U.S. is the embodiment of evil.
We learned that the West wants a deal more than Khamenei does. Throughout the speech, his words dripped with a lack of enthusiasm for the whole enterprise. President Obama is campaigning for a deal, while Khamenei is unmoved.
We learned that the ayatollah is demanding total trust from us while offering maximum contempt in return. He demanded that the West permanently end all sanctions on the very day the deal is signed. He insisted that no inspectors could visit Iranian military facilities. This would make a hash of verification and enforcement.
Khamenei's speech suggests that Iran still fundamentally sees itself in a holy war with the West, a war that is still a fundamental clash of values and interests. His speech suggests, as Henry Kissinger and George Shultz put it in a brilliant op-ed essay in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, that there is no congruence of interests between us and Iran.
If Iran still has revolutionary intent, then no amount of treaty subtlety will enforce this deal. It will continue to work on its advanced nuclear technology even during the agreement. It will inevitably use nuclear weaponry, or even the threat of eventual nuclear weaponry, to advance its apocalyptic interests. Every other regional power will prepare for the worst, and we'll get a nuclear-arms race in a region of disintegrating nation-states.
At some point, there has to be a scintilla of evidence that Iran wants to change. Khamenei's speech offers none.
[h=2]Moscow starts oil-for-goods swap with Tehran, demonstrating Kremlin's determination to boost economic ties with Islamic Republic.[/h]
S-300 anti-aircraft missile system at a parade in Moscow. (photo credit:WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/WWW.KREMLIN.RU)
Israel on Monday warned that Russia’s decision to lift its five-year ban on the delivery of S-300 air-defense missile system to Iran proves that the deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear program will only strengthen it militarily.
“Instead of demanding that Iran desist from the terrorist activity that it is carrying out in the Middle East and throughout the world, it is being allowed to arm itself with advanced weapons that will only increase its aggression,” Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Monday.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree ending a self-imposed ban on delivering the S-300 missile system to Iran, removing a major irritant between the two, after Moscow canceled a corresponding contract in 2010 under pressure from the West.
The United States and Israel had lobbied Russia to block the missile sale before it did so in 2010, saying the S-300 system could be used to shield Iran’s nuclear facilities from possible future air strikes.
US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday to express his concern about the shipment of S-300 missiles to Iran.
The two men also talked more globally about the framework agreement between the six world powers and Iran, which was negotiated earlier this month in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Lavrov told the Russian News Agency TASS that the S-300 ban is no longer necessary in light of the framework agreement.
He added that the system is defensive, hence would pose no threat to Israel.
“We see no need to continue doing this given progress in talks on Iran’s nuclear program and the absolutely legitimate nature of the forthcoming deal,” he said.
“S-300 is an air-defense missile system, which is of a purely defensive nature. It is not designed for attacks and will not put at risk the security of any regional state, including Israel,” Lavrov said.
But US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters in Washington, “It is not constructive at this time for Russia to move forward with this. Given Iran’s destabilizing actions in the region... this is not the time to be selling those kind of systems to [Iran].”
Harf pledged that the US would protect its allies in the region, including Israel, against Iran.
She added that the US does not believe the decision would impact the continued negotiations between the six world powers and Iran toward a final agreement by the end of June.
“We see this as separate from the negotiations,” Harf said.
Steintiz disagreed and said that Russia’s decision to lift the ban is a sign of how dangerous the Iran deal was.
“This is the direct result of the legitimacy that Iran is receiving from the nuclear deal being made with it. This also proves that the economic momentum in Iran that will come in the wake of the lifting of the sanctions will be exploited for armaments and not used for the welfare of the Iranian people,” he said.
The US has said that this deal will make the region safer, because it will curb Iran’s nuclear program by extending its breakout time to develop nuclear weapons from a few months to a year’s time.
In a phone conference with Israeli reporters earlier in the day, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman – who heads the US negotiating team in the Iran talks – said that a military strike against the Islamic Republic would not eliminate its nuclear program, rather only set it back by a few years.
She argued that the framework agreement is therefore the best option to keep Iran from producing nuclear weapons for an extended period of time.
Israel has argued that the best option is continued and increased sanctions.
On Monday night Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of what would happen with Iran once sanctions were lifted when he spoke at an Israel Police ceremony in Beit Shemesh.
“Iran is receiving legitimacy to continue these actions and when the sanctions are lifted shortly, if indeed the deal is approved, it will receive billions of dollars to finance its war and terrorism machines, with international legitimacy.
Before our very eyes an absurd reality is taking shape in which the key to our fate and the future of the Middle East is liable to be delivered into the hands of the fanatical Iranian regime,” he said.
“An agreement full of holes with Iran will not ensure regional stability; a vigorous and resolute policy that prevents it from arming itself with nuclear weapons and compels it to halt its takeover of other nations would,” Netanyahu added.
Russia’s lifting of the S-300 anti-missile ban was not the only Iranian restriction that it lifted.
A senior Russian government official said separately that Moscow has started supplying grain, equipment, and construction materials to Iran in exchange for crude oil under a barter deal.
Sources told Reuters more than a year ago that a deal worth up to $20 billion was being discussed and would involve Russia buying up to 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil a day.
Officials from the two countries have issued contradictory statements since then on whether a deal has been signed, but Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday one was already being implemented.
“I wanted to draw your attention to the rolling out of the oilfor- goods deal, which is on a very significant scale,” Ryabkov told a briefing with members of the upper house of parliament on the talks with Iran.
“In exchange for Iranian crude oil supplies, we are delivering certain products. This is not banned or limited under the current sanctions regime.”
He declined to give further details. Russia’s Agriculture Ministry declined comment and the Energy Ministry did not respond to request for comment. There was no comment from Iran.
Iran is the third largest buyer of Russian wheat, and Moscow and Tehran have been discussing the oil-for-goods barter deal for more than a year.
Ryabkov suggested Russia had high hopes that its steady support for Iran would pay off in energy cooperation once international sanctions against Tehran are lifted.
“It takes two to tango. We are ready to provide our services and I am sure they will be pretty advantageous compared to other countries,” he said. “We never gave up on Iran in a difficult situation... Both for oil and gas, I think the prospects for our cooperation should not be underestimated.”
He also reiterated Moscow’s view that an arms embargo on Iran should be lifted once a final nuclear deal is sealed.
Sanctions have cut Iran’s oil exports to about 1.1 million barrels per day from 2.5 million in 2012.
Analysts say Iran is unlikely to see a major boost in exports before next year.
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.
Leonid Ivashov, a retired Russian general who now heads the Moscow- based Center for Geopolitical Analysis think tank, said the move is part of a race for future contracts in Iran.
“If we now delay and leave Iran waiting, then tomorrow, when sanctions are fully lifted, Washington and its allies will get Iran’s large market,” RIA news agency quoted him as saying.
S-300 anti-aircraft missile system at a parade in Moscow. (photo credit:WIKIMEDIA COMMONS/WWW.KREMLIN.RU)
Israel on Monday warned that Russia’s decision to lift its five-year ban on the delivery of S-300 air-defense missile system to Iran proves that the deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear program will only strengthen it militarily.
“Instead of demanding that Iran desist from the terrorist activity that it is carrying out in the Middle East and throughout the world, it is being allowed to arm itself with advanced weapons that will only increase its aggression,” Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Monday.
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree ending a self-imposed ban on delivering the S-300 missile system to Iran, removing a major irritant between the two, after Moscow canceled a corresponding contract in 2010 under pressure from the West.
The United States and Israel had lobbied Russia to block the missile sale before it did so in 2010, saying the S-300 system could be used to shield Iran’s nuclear facilities from possible future air strikes.
US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday to express his concern about the shipment of S-300 missiles to Iran.
The two men also talked more globally about the framework agreement between the six world powers and Iran, which was negotiated earlier this month in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Lavrov told the Russian News Agency TASS that the S-300 ban is no longer necessary in light of the framework agreement.
He added that the system is defensive, hence would pose no threat to Israel.
“We see no need to continue doing this given progress in talks on Iran’s nuclear program and the absolutely legitimate nature of the forthcoming deal,” he said.
“S-300 is an air-defense missile system, which is of a purely defensive nature. It is not designed for attacks and will not put at risk the security of any regional state, including Israel,” Lavrov said.
But US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters in Washington, “It is not constructive at this time for Russia to move forward with this. Given Iran’s destabilizing actions in the region... this is not the time to be selling those kind of systems to [Iran].”
Harf pledged that the US would protect its allies in the region, including Israel, against Iran.
She added that the US does not believe the decision would impact the continued negotiations between the six world powers and Iran toward a final agreement by the end of June.
“We see this as separate from the negotiations,” Harf said.
Steintiz disagreed and said that Russia’s decision to lift the ban is a sign of how dangerous the Iran deal was.
“This is the direct result of the legitimacy that Iran is receiving from the nuclear deal being made with it. This also proves that the economic momentum in Iran that will come in the wake of the lifting of the sanctions will be exploited for armaments and not used for the welfare of the Iranian people,” he said.
The US has said that this deal will make the region safer, because it will curb Iran’s nuclear program by extending its breakout time to develop nuclear weapons from a few months to a year’s time.
In a phone conference with Israeli reporters earlier in the day, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman – who heads the US negotiating team in the Iran talks – said that a military strike against the Islamic Republic would not eliminate its nuclear program, rather only set it back by a few years.
She argued that the framework agreement is therefore the best option to keep Iran from producing nuclear weapons for an extended period of time.
Israel has argued that the best option is continued and increased sanctions.
On Monday night Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of what would happen with Iran once sanctions were lifted when he spoke at an Israel Police ceremony in Beit Shemesh.
“Iran is receiving legitimacy to continue these actions and when the sanctions are lifted shortly, if indeed the deal is approved, it will receive billions of dollars to finance its war and terrorism machines, with international legitimacy.
Before our very eyes an absurd reality is taking shape in which the key to our fate and the future of the Middle East is liable to be delivered into the hands of the fanatical Iranian regime,” he said.
“An agreement full of holes with Iran will not ensure regional stability; a vigorous and resolute policy that prevents it from arming itself with nuclear weapons and compels it to halt its takeover of other nations would,” Netanyahu added.
Russia’s lifting of the S-300 anti-missile ban was not the only Iranian restriction that it lifted.
A senior Russian government official said separately that Moscow has started supplying grain, equipment, and construction materials to Iran in exchange for crude oil under a barter deal.
Sources told Reuters more than a year ago that a deal worth up to $20 billion was being discussed and would involve Russia buying up to 500,000 barrels of Iranian oil a day.
Officials from the two countries have issued contradictory statements since then on whether a deal has been signed, but Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday one was already being implemented.
“I wanted to draw your attention to the rolling out of the oilfor- goods deal, which is on a very significant scale,” Ryabkov told a briefing with members of the upper house of parliament on the talks with Iran.
“In exchange for Iranian crude oil supplies, we are delivering certain products. This is not banned or limited under the current sanctions regime.”
He declined to give further details. Russia’s Agriculture Ministry declined comment and the Energy Ministry did not respond to request for comment. There was no comment from Iran.
Iran is the third largest buyer of Russian wheat, and Moscow and Tehran have been discussing the oil-for-goods barter deal for more than a year.
Ryabkov suggested Russia had high hopes that its steady support for Iran would pay off in energy cooperation once international sanctions against Tehran are lifted.
“It takes two to tango. We are ready to provide our services and I am sure they will be pretty advantageous compared to other countries,” he said. “We never gave up on Iran in a difficult situation... Both for oil and gas, I think the prospects for our cooperation should not be underestimated.”
He also reiterated Moscow’s view that an arms embargo on Iran should be lifted once a final nuclear deal is sealed.
Sanctions have cut Iran’s oil exports to about 1.1 million barrels per day from 2.5 million in 2012.
Analysts say Iran is unlikely to see a major boost in exports before next year.
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.
Leonid Ivashov, a retired Russian general who now heads the Moscow- based Center for Geopolitical Analysis think tank, said the move is part of a race for future contracts in Iran.
“If we now delay and leave Iran waiting, then tomorrow, when sanctions are fully lifted, Washington and its allies will get Iran’s large market,” RIA news agency quoted him as saying.
So Obama sanctions Russia & Russia & China become busom buddies
putting together a system that will terminate the long held US monopoly on World Banking.
Obama makes deal with Iran on nukes giving Russia an excuse to
lift sanctions & provide Iran with advanced ground-to-air weapons, This makes
our use of bunker buster bombs in the event of Iran not living up to the deal very dangerous & unlikely.
The US attempt to isolate Russia over Ukraine again proven to be a disaster. Putin plays Obama like a drum.
putting together a system that will terminate the long held US monopoly on World Banking.
Obama makes deal with Iran on nukes giving Russia an excuse to
lift sanctions & provide Iran with advanced ground-to-air weapons, This makes
our use of bunker buster bombs in the event of Iran not living up to the deal very dangerous & unlikely.
The US attempt to isolate Russia over Ukraine again proven to be a disaster. Putin plays Obama like a drum.
Except this particular missile system from Russia IS for self defense. It's an air defense missile system. Russia believes(I hope they're right) there is the outline of an agreement that halts Iran from getting a Nuke. Hopefully the nutcases here and in Iran(and elsewhere Bibi) don't blow it.
This missile system is used for defense of one's country only. It cannot be used in aggression. Why is Israel obsessed with it? Because if, and when, they attack Iran, they may not be as successful with the defense system in place. if they don't plan to attack Iran, they need not worry about it. Guesser is 100% correct..........no country is going to sit idly and watch their soil being attacked without retaliation or self-defense...NO country.
