Russia says it will continue to sell arms to Iran
29 January 2010
Anatoly Isaikin, the head of Russia’s state-owned arms trading company, Rosoboronexport, has said that Iran is still a valuable customer for its weapons, despite recent indications that Moscow may be ready to support tougher sanctions against Iran over the latter’s nuclear program. Isaikin said no international agreements barred Russia from selling weapons to Tehran.
In 2007, Russia signed a contract to sell the powerful S-300 air defense missiles to Tehran, but so far has not delivered any of them. Many believe the missiles would significantly boost Iran’s air defense capabilities. Isaikin did not say if and when Russia could make the delivery but emphasized Moscow’s right to provide Iran with weapons. "There are no formal bans which would bar the delivery of any types of weapons to Iran," he said at a press conference, adding that Russia's arms trade with Iran isn't covered under current UN sanctions.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had showed cautious support for new sanctions against Tehran after holding talks with the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
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