Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 28
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
Iran's air defense system is strong enough without the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, Brigadier General Farzad Esmaeili, the commander of country's Khatam ol-Anbiya air defense base said.
The Islamic Republic air defense system is not dependent on the S-300 missiles, he underlined.
Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a decree on April 13 to lift the ban over delivering the S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran after long-run disputes.
"Some people ask us why you still want to buy S-300 missiles while you already have developed a similar system domestically," Esmaeili said, adding it is a commitment that should be fulfilled.
"We pursue the S-300 case because there is a commitment from years ago which was not fulfilled so far," Esmaeili underlined, Iran's Fars news agency reported April 28.
Russia signed the contract in 2007 to sell Iran five S-300 ground-to-air missile systems. The $800-million contract to deliver S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran was cancelled in 2010 by then Russian then President Dmitry Medvedev, falling in line with the UN sanctions imposed on Iran due to its disputed nuclear program.
Esmaeili further emphasized that Iran 's air defense system is complete and capable of defending the country's air zone without the Russian missiles.
Esmaeili's remarks contradict with comments of some other Iranian military officials on the issue.
Earlier Brigadier General Ali Shadmani, deputy chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said however Tehran itself is developing a domestic version of the S-300 system but production is not fast enough to cover the Islamic Republic's needs.
The decision to buy S-300 system from Russia was made at that time due to the Islamic Republic's serious need, admitting that there were some holes in Iran 's air defense system.
Iran's Barvar 373 long-range air defense system or the domestic version of the S-300 would be tested by March 2016. According to Iranian security officials, Bavar 373 is better than the Russian S-300, as it is able to track over 100 targets, just like the Russian system but with a higher targeting capability.
Edited CN
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