Russia and Iran agree deal on delivery of S-300 missiles

Russia and Iran have reached an agreement on the delivery of S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran, said Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.

"As things stand now, this topic is closed. We have reached full understanding on the matter together with our Iranian partners. The question has been fundamentally solved. The rest is just technical details," Bogdanov, who is also a special presidential representative for the Middle East and Africa, told RIA Novosti on 19 August.

Russian state arms manufacturer Almaz Antey said in June that it would supply Iran with a modernised version of the S-300 once a commercial deal was agreed. However, the Pentagon objected to the sale on 18 August. "We have long expressed our concerns over reports of the possible sale of this missile system to the Iranians," Pentagon spokesman Capt Jeff Davis told Fox News. Iranian officials signed the deal on 19 August, finalising the sale of the missile systems.

Russia cancelled a deal to supply Iran with the missiles in 2010, after the West imposed economic sanctions on Iran in response to the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme. Following the agreement between the US and Iran to lift sanctions in exchange for increased inspection of Iranian nuclear sites, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the deal would be reopened in April.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu protested the sale of the missiles to Iran, claiming they could further undermine the stability of the Middle East.