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Iran denies Russian missiles delivery delay

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-17 22:14

TEHRAN: Iran's defense minister said on Tuesday that his country has no official news over the cancellation of Russian S-300 missiles delivery to Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"Till now, we haven't received any official news concerning the cancellation of the S-300 missile system (delivery) by the Russians," Brigardier General Ahmad Vahidi was quoted as saying.

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Referring to the contradictory news by unauthorized sources concerning the issue, Vahidi said that Iran has had no official news on the issue and "there was just a delay in the delivery of the system by the Russians. They had said that the technical causes were the main reason" for the delay in delivery, according to the report.

"We have asked the Russians to do the technical problems of the system as soon as possible," he told reporters, adding that "we hope the system will be delivered to Iran in the near future."

Earlier in November, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of Iran's Parliament's national security and foreign policy commission criticized Russia's delay over the delivery of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Tehran, IRNA reported.

The S-300, which is to be delivered to Iran on the basis of a 2007 agreement, is a series of Russia's longer range surface-to- air missile systems. It was developed as a system against aircraft and cruise missiles for Soviet Union's anti-air defense branch of the military, but later variations were also developed to intercept ballistic missiles.

It is more powerful than the Tor-M1 missile defense system which Russia has delivered to Iran.