Russia has canceled plans to supply Iran with S-300 anti-aircraft missiles due to UN sanctions imposed against Tehran, a senior Russian military official has said. "A decision has been taken not to supply the S-300 to Iran, they undoubtedly fall under sanctions," the ITAR-TASS news agency quoted Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov as saying. "There has been an instruction from the country's leadership to stop the deliveries, and we are obeying it," Makarov added, according to the RIA-'Novosti’ news agency.

Russia had previously issued mixed messages regarding the future of the deal sgreed in 2005, first saying that the new round of sanctions on Iran passed at the United Nations in June would not impede the deal, and later saying that it would. Israel had been concerned at the possibility that Russia may follow through with the delivery of the S-300 surface-to-air defense system to Iran.