MOSCOW — Under heavy U.S. pressure, Russia has delayed delivery of
an anti-aircraft system to Iran and amid conflicting media reports about plans for delivery.
Russian sources said President Vladimir Putin has delayed delivery of
the TOR-M1 anti-aircraft system to Iran. The sources said Putin has been
under heavy U.S. pressure to suspend the $700 million contract, Middle East Newsline reported.
"Under the agreement between Iran and Russia, the delivery [of the
TOR-M1] was to have begun in early 2006," a Russian source said. "The
Iranians are getting very nervous and want the aircraft batteries
immediately."
Russian sources said Putin has been considering suspending the TOR-M1
contract to avoid a crisis with Washington. Sergei Markov, an analyst
regarded as close to the Kremlin, said delivery of the TOR-M1 has been
delayed until the fall of 2006 amid U.S. appeals to cancel the sale.
On April 17, the Russian Defense Ministry denied a report that Belarus
plans to export the S-300SP anti-aircraft system to Iran. Moscow has been
delivering the S-300 to Belarus, but the ministry said the air defense
systems could not be transferred to a third country.
"The information published in certain U.S. media alleging that the S-300
anti-aircraft missile systems which Russia supplies to Belarus will be
re-exported to Iran in the future does not correspond to reality," Russian
Defense Ministry said in a statement.
On April 18, the Russian business daily Vedomosti quoted a source close
to the Russian state-owned arms export agency Rosoboronexport who confirmed
the delay. The source told the newspaper that the delay stemmed from the
need to train Iranian military personnel to operate the TOR-M1.
"Observers say that under pressure from the United States, Russia could
cancel this deal and are already saying that it has been suspended,"
Vedomosti said.
In November 2005, Iran and Russia signed a deal for 29 TOR-M1 mobile
short-range anti-aircraft batteries. The systems, manufactured for Greece,
were meant to protect Iranian nuclear and other strategic facilities.
"The deal with Iran could only be broken in the event of the purchaser
failing to pay," Konstantin
Makiyenko, an analyst at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and
Technologies, said. "Cancellation of the contract under pressure from the
United States would damage Russia's reputation as an arms exporter."
Over the last few weeks, Russia has sought to demonstrate its commitment
to arms control. On April 10, the Russian Defense Ministry drafted a list of
countries and organizations suspected of weapons of mass destruction
proliferation.
