Article Posted on : - Apr 16, 2009

A file photo of Russian-made S-300 missile

MOSCOW (BNS): Dismissing concerns expressed by some countries over its contract with Russia to buy S-300 surface-to-air missile systems, Iran has said that there are “no obstacles” to the delivery of the weapon.

“There are no problems with this (S-300) contract,” Iran's deputy foreign minister Mehdi Safari said on Wednesday at the end of his visit here.

He offered no specifics about the contract's implementation, but dismissed concerns voiced by a number of countries over possible S-300 deliveries to Iran.

“After all, these are purely defensive weapons, and any country has the right to buy them. I believe this could only worry those states that have plans to attack others,” the minister was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti new agency.

The Iranian media, citing senior security officials, have reported that Russia has started delivering equipment of the advanced version of S-300 missile to Tehran under a contract signed in 2007.

However, a Russian arms export official had last month said that Iran had not received any S-300 air defense systems.

Russia has named the latest version of S-300 family as S-300PMU2 Favorit. Having a range of up to 195 kilometers, it can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes ranging from 10 metres to 27 kilometres, the Russian news agency said.

One of the world's most effective all-altitude regional air defense systems, it is comparable with the US MIM-104 Patriot system, it added.

Iran has recently received 29 Russian-made Tor-M1 air defense missile systems under a $700-million contract signed in 2005, the agency said.