Israeli Media Claims: Putin Has Suspended Delivery of S-300 to Iran

Israeli newspapers have claimed that the "evidence" presented by Israel to Russia has led Moscow to continue withholding the S-300 air defense systems from Iran. The Jerusalem Post on March 8 and Maariv on March 6 have republished these reports based on a recent article in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida. These reports claim that Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, personally decided to suspend the delivery of the S-300 to Iran in order to "punish" Tehran. According to these reports, Israel has provided "definitive" evidence to Russia indicating Iran's non-compliance with commitments regarding the non-transfer of advanced Russian equipment to Hezbollah. The reports further state that "clear evidence" gathered by Israeli intelligence sources includes information that Iran has supplied SA-22 surface-to-air missiles made in Russia to Hezbollah. The Jerusalem Post writes that Russian anti-missile radars have detected SA-22 missiles in areas of Lebanon where Hezbollah's presence is significant. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated last fall at the United Nations General Assembly that Israel has obtained extensive details about military transfers to Hezbollah, and that the organization, with the assistance of Iran and Russia, is seeking to transfer SA-22 missiles and Yakhont missiles to Lebanon (from Syrian territory). The Yakhont, a guided cruise missile, is also of Russian origin and is used for precise maritime targeting. Iran signed a contract to purchase at least five advanced S-300 air defense systems from Russia in 2007. Following the intensification of sanctions against Iran, Russia suspended the delivery of these systems to Iran in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions. After the implementation of the JCPOA, the final nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, and following the issuance of a Security Council resolution that nullified all previous resolutions against Iran, Putin ordered in recent months that the ban on selling S-300 to Iran be lifted. Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan visited Russia last month, and he and other Iranian officials stated regarding this trip that the transfer of S-300 systems to Iran is in progress. Meanwhile, a few days after the Russian Defense Minister's visit to Tehran, Israeli media reported that this Russian official told Iran that they would have to wait longer for the delivery of the S-300 systems. Moscow and Tehran have not yet publicly commented on the alleged reports regarding the renewed suspension of the S-300 transfer to Iran.