Thursday August 20, 2009
Russia to reconsider sale of missiles to Iran - Israel
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Israeli President Shimon Peres on Wednesday said Russia had agreed to reconsider the sale of S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Iran after he warned they would upset the region's balance of power, Russian news agencies reported.
The possible sale of S-300s, which could protect Iranian nuclear facilities against air strikes, is a sensitive issue in Moscow's relations with the United States and Israel has urged the Kremlin not to supply Tehran with the weapons.
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Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev (L) welcomes his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres at the President's official vacation residence of Bocharov Ruchei in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, August 18, 2009. (REUTERS/Ria Novosti/Kremlin/Dmitry Astakhov) |
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev "promised to reconsider this question as I explained that this would affect the balance of forces in our region," Peres told journalists a day after talks with Medvedev, Interfax news agency reported.
Russia has never publicly confirmed the existence of a contract to supply the missile systems to Tehran though Russian media have said a deal was signed several years ago.
Russia would, however, be willing to look at requests from Iran to buy front-line fighters and bombers if Tehran were to place such an order, an official in Russia's state arms exporter was quoted as saying.
"If Iran were interested in military transport planes, or tactical battle aviation, we would look at this request," Alexander Mikheyev, the deputy director of Rosoboronexport, was quoted as saying by Interfax.
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 and can travel at more than 2 km per second.
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
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