Russia Lifts Political Restrictions on S-300 Missile Delivery to Iran

The state-owned weapons manufacturer in Russia, Almaz-Antey, announced on Tuesday, June 2, that all political restrictions on the delivery of the S-300 missile defense system to Iran have now been lifted, and the sale of these weapons will proceed upon commercial agreement. According to Reuters, Yan Novikov, the CEO of Almaz-Antey, confirmed that all restrictions imposed in 2010 under Western pressure regarding the delivery of the S-300 to Iran have now been removed. He added during a press conference: 'All restrictions have been lifted by political authorities, and we will deliver this system whenever the contract is signed, including to Iran.' Novikov did not provide further details on the timeline for the delivery of the S-300 to Iran or when the contract might be signed. The S-300 air defense missile system can target aircraft at an altitude of 30 kilometers and at a distance of 150 kilometers, with the capability to track 100 targets simultaneously. Iran's acquisition of this system could alter the calculations regarding a potential airstrike by the U.S. or Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities. Although the Islamic Republic of Iran signed a contract to purchase the S-300 air defense system from Russia in 2005, Moscow delayed the delivery multiple times and announced in mid-October 2010 that it would refrain from delivering this air defense system to Iran in line with the latest UN Security Council sanctions against the Islamic Republic. During this time, the U.S., Israel, Canada, and France were among the countries that warned Russia against delivering this system. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the delivery of the S-300 system to Iran in April of this year. This decision came after Russia and other global powers reached a temporary agreement regarding further 'clarification' of Iran's nuclear program. In this context, Amir-Abdollahian stated that resolving the issue of receiving the S-300 will not take long. John Kerry expressed concern over the transfer of the S-300 missile system to Iran, and the delivery of the S-300 to Iran was a key topic of discussion between Kerry and Putin in Moscow.