Russia to boost Iran air defenses
U.S. warns move could undercut talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday cleared the way for delivery of sophisticated air defense systems to Iran with a decree that U.S. officials warned could disrupt the emerging deal to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Kremlin officials cited the April 2 framework agreement between Iran and six world powers that is expected to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons as grounds for proceeding with delivery of the S-300 missile systems, which could give Russia a jump on others in resuming trade with the long-isolated Islamic Republic.
The announcement drew immediate criticism from the U.S., where State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said recent “destabilizing actions” on the part of Iran in Yemen, Syria and Lebanon suggest that “this isn’t the time to be selling these kinds of systems to them.”
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted that “a modern air defense system is now very relevant to Iran, especially taking into account the severe escalation of tensions in neighboring areas.”
Of special note, he told the Russia Today television network, was “the rapid development of military activity in Yemen in recent weeks.” He added, “The S-300 is exclusively a defensive weapon, which can’t serve offensive purposes and will not jeopardize the security of any country, including, of course, Israel.”
Russia said its main objective was to demonstrate concrete progress after the framework agreement on limiting Iran’s nuclear program. The tentative pact, officials said, relieves Moscow of its 5-year-old commitment to hold back delivery of the S-300 missile systems Iran agreed to buy in 2007.
“It was done in the spirit of goodwill in order to encourage progress in talks,” Lavrov said in televised comments. “We are convinced that at this stage there is no longer need for such an embargo, specifically for a separate, voluntary Russian embargo.”
It was unclear whether Moscow was prepared to ship the missile systems any time soon, or what specific anti-aircraft batteries might be involved. The S-300 has been out of production for five years, and the Russian output until 2010 involved an array of ranges and capabilities, analysts said, leaving it uncertain whether Tehran could deter the kind of airstrikes that Israel has threatened if the nuclear deal falters and weapons production is suspected.
Still, a senior Israeli official also condemned the Russian announcement.
“This is a direct result of the legitimacy that Iran is obtaining from the deal being woven with it, and it is proof that the economic momentum in Iran that will come after the lifting of the sanctions will be exploited for arming and not for the welfare of the Iranian people,” Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said in a statement.
Tehran’s order for the S-300s was held up by then-President Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929, which banned supply to Iran of conventional weapons including missiles, tanks, attack helicopters, warplanes and ships.
Putin’s decree, which took immediate effect with his signature, ended Moscow’s self-imposed restrictions on transport of the S-300 systems worth a total of $800 million, the Kremlin website said.
By offering to resume arms sales to Iran, Putin has potentially positioned Russia to get a jump on other world powers in restoring trade links with the long-isolated Islamic Republic. A deputy foreign minister recently told Russian lawmakers that an oil-for-goods barter deal with Iran also was in the works as a result of the perceived easing of the nuclear standoff between Iran and the West.