Iran official warns Russia of legal action over S-300 missiles
Tehran has voiced growing irritation at Moscow's failure to supply it with the S-300 missile defense system.
By Reuters Tags: Russia Iran nuclear Israel newsIran can take legal action if Russia refuses to fulfill its commitments to deliver an advanced missile defense system to the Islamic Republic, a senior military official said on Tuesday.
Iranian officials have voiced growing irritation at Russia's failure so far to supply the S-300 missile system, which Israel and the United States do not want Tehran to have.
"The Russians, surely under the pressure of the Zionist lobby and America, refuse to fulfill their commitments," the official IRNA news agency quoted Brigadier General Mohammad Hassan Mansourian as saying.
"And because this is an official agreement it can be pursued through international legal bodies," said Mansourian, who is deputy head of Iran's air defenses.
Moscow, which is under Western pressure to distance itself from Iran over a long-running dispute over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, has not followed through on proposals to ship the missiles to Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Russia last month for not providing the S-300 to Iran. Like Israel, Washington has not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the row over Iran's nuclear program.
The West suspects Iran is seeking to build nuclear bombs. Tehran says it only seeks to generate electricity.
The truck-mounted S-300PMU1, known in the West as the SA-20, can shoot down cruise missiles and aircraft. It can fire at targets up to 150 km (90 miles) away.
Iranian officials say the country can produce a S-300-style system by itself, if Russia does not deliver it. Iranian media say a new anti-aircraft defense system will be tested during war games this week.
In another possible source of strain in Moscow-Tehran ties, Russia earlier this month announced the latest delay to Iran's first nuclear power station. It said technical issues would prevent its engineers from starting up the Bushehr plant reactor on the Gulf coast by the year's end.
Diplomats say Russia uses the Bushehr reactor, and major arms contracts, as levers in relations with Tehran.
Russia, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security council, has backed three sets of mild sanctions on Iran since 2006 over its nuclear work. But it has so far blocked any strong measures against its traditional ally.
A senior MP last week said Russia was using the Islamic Republic as a "pawn" in Moscow's dealings with other powers such as the United States.
But the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said on Tuesday that work on Bushehr was progressing as planned.
"The West is trying to harm our relations with Russia...the reactor is progressing based on our agreements and Russia is doing more than it should. The Bushehr plant will be inaugurated in 2010," ILNA news agency quoted Ali Akbar Salehi as saying.
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It seems friends who trust each other like Russia and Iran do , give some hope to those who do not trust either of them.
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Jon, there is NO member of the Nuclear Weapons Club who wants to see other members INCLUDING Russia. The last member of the NPT approved 'club' to violate it's responsibilities to control proliferation was the United States under Ronald Reagan, and again under George W. Bush. The US helped Pakistan get the bomb, and last year helped India by violating the NPT in trading technology and nuclear materials in violation of the NPT. Russia made the mistake of proliferation to China and learned from it. So long as Iran violates the NPT and the Additional Protocols Russia will defend it's interests by thwarting Iran. Russia does not want to see the US, or Israel, at war with Iran, but it does not want Iran a nuclear power. Got it?
when maritime blockade of Iran begins. This would make Iran a land locked country until her islamist clerics leadership capitulates or is overthrown from the inside.
Hope you're right...
The US F-22 could likely destroy S-300 systems but S-400 is still in question depending on how good the new anti-stealth tech works. If Israel goes up against S-300 systems it would likely suffer 20% to 50% loses, depending on how well trained the Iranians are.
on the one hand, they made a deal already. On the other hand, they are poised to add more restrictions and embargos on Iran for not complying with international demands. Seems to make sense to me why Iran would not commit to its previous decisions, and if an embargo is created, what legal actions could Iran actually take?
Iran has about 30 TOR1 mobile systems which are very good for low to medium height targets and capable of handling intensive aerial jamming but has weakness it that its missiles are too short range, an F-15 fighting fast at 25,000ft could take it out safely. If Iran upgraded this system with SA-10 or SA-20 missiles and boost the radar range by atleast 25% then it would become a very strong system but still lacking some abilities of newer S-300/400 system.
Another reason Russia doesn't ship the S-300 system to Iran is because Russia is certain that Israel will attack Iran in the near future and if thei S-300 missile system fails to knock out Israeli jets, then the world will see that US. and Israeli technology is much higher. Russia will loose a great share of the armaments market
To #1 David Nigel Braham, no Russia still did not deliver S-300 missile system to Iran However, Iran claims they can build their own system that is better then Russias. Iran should cancei its contract with Russia get their money back, build their own system. Maybe their highly advanced system will be able to bring down flies,However, US. and Israeli jets will be much harder to bring down even with the S-300 missile defence system.
Iran does not have the S-300MPU. The US has had one for years and foreign pilots attending Red Flag exercises will encounter it. It is a known quantity and no where near the boogieman the war hawks make it out to be.
I think Iran already has the system and this weeks military exercise was to give America and Israel a false sense of security. If the system is not switched on,it cannot be tracked.