MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. Top diplomats of Russia and the United States Sergey Lavrov and John Kerry have discussed the Iranian issue over the phone on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"The two sides have discussed certain aspects of further steps by the international community with regard to Iran in the context of progress reached at the talks on settling the situation around Iran’s nuclear program," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry also said that Sergey Lavrov will soon make a statement on Russia's decision to lift the ban on the supplies of S-300 missile systems to Iran.
President Vladimir Putin earlier on Monday signed a decree to lift the ban from the supplies of S-300 air defense missiles to Iran.
"The decree cancels the ban from transit through Russia (including by air), transportation outside the territory of Russia to the Islamic Republic of Iran and also handover to the Islamic Republic of Iran outside the territory of Russia with the use of ships and aircraft flying the Russian state flag of the air defense missile systems S-300," the Kremlin’s press-service said.
The implementation of the Russian-Iranian contract of 2007 for supplying the S-300 systems was suspended following the introduction of sanctions against Iran in September 2010. Tehran later protested that decision in court.
Shortly after Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu visited Iran last January the US Department of State said that supplies of Russian air defense systems to Iran would be unacceptable. In the meantime, Iran has repeatedly voiced the hope Russia would eventually agree to provide the launchers.