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Russia to deliver first batch of S-300 systems to Iran in August or September

Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted the ban on delivery of S-300 missile systems to Tehran back in April 2015

MOSCOW, March 11. /TASS/. Russia will deliver S-300 missile defense systems to Iran in August or September this year, Rostec state corporation CEO Sergey Chemezov told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Friday.

"I think we will deliver the S-300 by the end of the year" Chemezov said adding that "the first delivery will be in September or August."

Answering a question on whether it will be a PMU-1, he noted: "Yes, they gave the conditions, and said they need only an S-300 PMU-1." "We suggested an Antey-2500, but they said no, give us the S-300," Chemezov went on. "Essentially, it’s the last system that we will deliver, and then yes, after that it probably won’t be produced anymore," he added.

Russia and Iran signed the previous contract for the supplies of five divisions of the S-300 missile systems in 2007. In September 2010, then-President Dmitry Medvedev inked a decree on measures on implementing the UN Security Council Resolution 1929 that in particular banned the S-300 supplies to Iran.

The contract worth over $800 million was canceled and the advance payment was sent back to the Islamic Republic. Iran filed an almost $4 billion lawsuit against Russia at the Geneva Court of Arbitration over Russia’s failure to fulfill the contract.

In April 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin lifted the ban on delivery of S-300 missile systems to Tehran. Rostec state corporation head Sergey Chemezov said that the contract on S-300 air defense systems enters into force at the beginning of November. Russian presidential aide on military-technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin confirmed this information earlier in December. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told journalists that the Iranian lawsuit will be withdrawn after the first division of S-300 air defense systems is supplied to Iran.