Iran will receive a major part of the contracted contingent of the Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile system by the end of the year, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said.
"We have signed a contract with Russia and its implementation is underway. By the end of the year, we will receive most of those systems," Dehghan told state television last night.
He said that Iranian forces are currently being trained in Russia to handle these missile systems.
The Russian public arms company Rostehnologiya (Rostek) announced on Monday the signing of a contract to supply Tehran with S-300 missiles. Their sale was banned in 2010, and approval for the sale was given by President Vladimir Putin in April.
The Iranian official added that his country will receive a modernized and upgraded version of the S-300 missiles, as the original 2007 contract refers to systems from that time.
That treaty was suspended by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, based on UN Resolution 1929 adopted over Iran's disputed nuclear program.
Vladimir Putin lifted the ban already in April, believing that the framework agreement signed in Lausanne on Iran's nuclear program between the major powers and Tehran allowed it, after which a definitive agreement followed in July.
His decision caused anger in Israel and resentment in the West.
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