Russia Bans Sale of S-300 Missiles to Iran

The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed an act to ban the delivery of S-300 air defence systems and other weapons to Iran.

The ban includes battle tanks, armoured vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, warplanes, military helicopters, ships and missiles.

The $800m sale of S-300 missile systems, signed in 2007, will not be delivered to Iran due to prohibitions under UN sanctions, chief of the Russian General Staff Army General Nikolai Makarov said.

The high-precision S-300 systems are capable of destroying aircraft at ranges of 150km and at altitudes of 27km, according to RIA Novosti.

The entry and transition via Russia for Iranian nationals, and the legal entities providing financial services to Iran’s nuclear activity, were also banned under the decree.

Russia’s envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said the decree to ban the sale of weapons to Iran was made in the interest of the country’s national security.