Russia is preparing to sell to Iran anti-aircraft missile systems S-300, Iran’s defense minister said on Wednesday. This will be Russia’s second major contract with Iran on air defense systems in the recent years. Analysts say that Russia is thus countering plans of the United States for military interventions in the Middle East.
Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said on Wednesday that the contract with Russia would deliver to Iran S-300 systems under a timetable to be announced soon. Russian arms trader Rosoboronexport and contract’s executor Antey-Almaz did not comment on the statement but did not refute it either. Sources of Kommersant said that Russia has agreed to sell to Iran five S-300PMU-1 complexes worth $800 million. A source in the military industry reported that the contract had not been signed yet but talks were in a final stage. He, however, said that S-300PMU-1 might as well be sold to Iran from the arsenal of the Russian armed forces after necessary updates.
Teheran hosted last week a session of the Russian-Iranian intergovernmental commission on military and technical cooperation where Mikhail Dmitriev, head of the Federal Military and Technical Cooperation Service, made it clear that Russia was set to carry on cooperating with Iran in this field and added that this was necessary to preserve balance of forces in the region.
Contacts between Russia and Iran in military and technical cooperation got a major boost in early 2004 when Teheran asked Moscow’s help in creating a missile defense system. Moscow suggested using S-300PMU-1 systems for defense of the capital city and four other regions including industrial center Isfahan, main naval base in Bander Abbas (the Persian Gulf), the nuclear plant in Bushehr and oil terminals in Abadan and Khorramshar.
Iran was earlier in talks to buy an S-300V top tier army air defense system. Belarus, which also has the series in its arsenal, was to supply them to from Russia a new S-300PMU-2 system in return. But this option was no longer under consideration as relations between Moscow and Minsk got sour early this year.
In December 2005 Russia and Iran struck a deal to sell 29 Tor-M1 complexes for $700 million which was to act as a shield for S-300 systems. The Kommersant source in the Russian military industry said that “selling Tors first Moscow thought to check the world’s reaction to the contract”.
Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said on Wednesday that the contract with Russia would deliver to Iran S-300 systems under a timetable to be announced soon. Russian arms trader Rosoboronexport and contract’s executor Antey-Almaz did not comment on the statement but did not refute it either. Sources of Kommersant said that Russia has agreed to sell to Iran five S-300PMU-1 complexes worth $800 million. A source in the military industry reported that the contract had not been signed yet but talks were in a final stage. He, however, said that S-300PMU-1 might as well be sold to Iran from the arsenal of the Russian armed forces after necessary updates.
Teheran hosted last week a session of the Russian-Iranian intergovernmental commission on military and technical cooperation where Mikhail Dmitriev, head of the Federal Military and Technical Cooperation Service, made it clear that Russia was set to carry on cooperating with Iran in this field and added that this was necessary to preserve balance of forces in the region.
Contacts between Russia and Iran in military and technical cooperation got a major boost in early 2004 when Teheran asked Moscow’s help in creating a missile defense system. Moscow suggested using S-300PMU-1 systems for defense of the capital city and four other regions including industrial center Isfahan, main naval base in Bander Abbas (the Persian Gulf), the nuclear plant in Bushehr and oil terminals in Abadan and Khorramshar.
Iran was earlier in talks to buy an S-300V top tier army air defense system. Belarus, which also has the series in its arsenal, was to supply them to from Russia a new S-300PMU-2 system in return. But this option was no longer under consideration as relations between Moscow and Minsk got sour early this year.
In December 2005 Russia and Iran struck a deal to sell 29 Tor-M1 complexes for $700 million which was to act as a shield for S-300 systems. The Kommersant source in the Russian military industry said that “selling Tors first Moscow thought to check the world’s reaction to the contract”.
The deal to deliver to Tehran five divisions of S-300PMU-1 was to be signed in March 2006. But Moscow walked out of the talks in January 2006 to protest Tehran’s course on its nuclear program. Russia was hoping to sell these S-300PMU-1 complexes to Algeria. But a recent chill in Russia-Algerian relations froze the execution of the contract. So, Iran is now most likely to get these systems after all.
The sale of S-300PMU-1 to Iran will surely create new tensions between Russia and the United States. Washington was quite cool in its reaction to Moscow’s delivery of Tor-M1 complexes to Tehran as the engagement range of these missiles is limited to 12km and up to altitudes of 6km. They could strike cruise missiles or controlled air bombs but not the jets themselves. To strike Tors the United States would just need fire more missiles or bombs at the target. However, the range of S-300PMU-1 reaches 300km with altitudes of up to 27km. They could make American fighters and bombers easy targets. Back in 1998 the United States supported Turkey in its protest against the Russian contract to deliver S-300PMU-1 systems to the island. Cyprus ended up buying Tor complexes and the S-300s that Cyprus bought were deployed on Crete following an agreement with Greece.
Independent analysts say that the delivery of S-300 systems to Iran meets this country’s needs as well as Russia’s foreign policy strategies. “This purchase is quite logical of Iran and falls into its policy of upgrading the national air defense system,” Maxim Pyadishkin, editor of air and space publication Russia/CIS Observer, said. “This contract also fits well into Rosoboronexport’s strategy as they have always said that they do not just sell defense systems but offer defense systems ready to use.” Ivan Safranchuk, director of the Moscow office of the Global Security Institute, said that “Russia is consistent in boosting Syria and Iran’s capabilities of air self-defense”. “This is aimed to counter plans of the Unites States for a military action in the Middle East,” Mr. Safranchuk told Kommersant. “As soon as Moscow feels that the United States may finally decide to strike Iran, it comes forward to ease the tensions pushing Iran to continue collaboration with the IAEA on its nuclear program.”
The sale of S-300PMU-1 to Iran will surely create new tensions between Russia and the United States. Washington was quite cool in its reaction to Moscow’s delivery of Tor-M1 complexes to Tehran as the engagement range of these missiles is limited to 12km and up to altitudes of 6km. They could strike cruise missiles or controlled air bombs but not the jets themselves. To strike Tors the United States would just need fire more missiles or bombs at the target. However, the range of S-300PMU-1 reaches 300km with altitudes of up to 27km. They could make American fighters and bombers easy targets. Back in 1998 the United States supported Turkey in its protest against the Russian contract to deliver S-300PMU-1 systems to the island. Cyprus ended up buying Tor complexes and the S-300s that Cyprus bought were deployed on Crete following an agreement with Greece.
Independent analysts say that the delivery of S-300 systems to Iran meets this country’s needs as well as Russia’s foreign policy strategies. “This purchase is quite logical of Iran and falls into its policy of upgrading the national air defense system,” Maxim Pyadishkin, editor of air and space publication Russia/CIS Observer, said. “This contract also fits well into Rosoboronexport’s strategy as they have always said that they do not just sell defense systems but offer defense systems ready to use.” Ivan Safranchuk, director of the Moscow office of the Global Security Institute, said that “Russia is consistent in boosting Syria and Iran’s capabilities of air self-defense”. “This is aimed to counter plans of the Unites States for a military action in the Middle East,” Mr. Safranchuk told Kommersant. “As soon as Moscow feels that the United States may finally decide to strike Iran, it comes forward to ease the tensions pushing Iran to continue collaboration with the IAEA on its nuclear program.”
Via: Kommersant
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