Posted on 10/07/2010 10:45:09 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
Russia plans to pay back a $166.8 million advance payment from Iran for S-300 air defense missiles after canceling the sale to comply with UN sanctions, a top Russian official said Thursday.
President Dmitry Medvedev banned the delivery of the high-precision air defense system last month, saying it would violate sanctions adopted by the UN Security Council in June.
The United States and Israel had urged Moscow to scrap the deal, fearing Iran could use the system to protect nuclear facilities that they suspect are part of a weapons program.
"We received an advance on this contract of $166.8 million," Sergei Chemezov, head of the state corporation that runs Russia's weapons exporter, told reporters in Cyprus. "We are not obliged to return another kopek beyond this. … We have annulled the contract, and we will return advance payments."
Chemezov heads Russian Technologies, which owns the Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
Russia has used the missile contract as a lever in diplomacy with Iran and the Western nations pressing to punish Tehran over its nuclear program, which Iran says is intended exclusively for power generation.
Moscow's support for a fourth round of UN sanctions was part of a gradual shift closer toward the tougher stance that the United States and European Union have taken toward Iran.
(Excerpt) Read more at themoscowtimes.com ...
Ping
TANKS a bunch for the pings,,,
That S-300 system can carry a nuke,,,
Bad news,,,
Iran could hit the Saudis with one type...
Whom for? Russia's scrapped the deal for S-300s and is returning the payments.
I really think this is a BS story,,,
They can just drive the launchers from Russia to Iran,,,
Check your map...
(That S-300 system can carry a nuke,,,)
NO it can’t...it’s a surface-to-air missile (ADA) system with an HE warhead, not a surface to surface missile.
“The S-300PS/S-300PM (Russian С-300ПC/С-300ПМ, NATO reporting name SA-10d/e) was introduced in 1985 and is the only version thought to have been fitted with a nuclear warhead.”,,, http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oG7lvG365M9IQB5jhXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTByMTNuNTZzBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMgRjb2xvA2FjMgR2dGlkAw—/SIG=120orpaaj/EXP=1286615366/**http%3a//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-300_(missile) I think the range is under rated,,, The Nike Hercules would reach out to 100 miles +,,, These rockets will glide for miles in the “Fail Safe”mode,,, Just lock the radar on to a “point in space”,,, When the “lock” is broken the warhead goes off...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.