Tehran looks to fulfill its military dreams with Moscow's help

Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 15

By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan has arrived in the Russia capital, Moscow, at the official invitation of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss the expansion of military cooperation.

Dehqan is expected to confer with high-ranking political and military officials to discuss regional, bilateral and international issues, Iranian defense ministry's website said.

On the same day, Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Jabber Ansari has announced that a long-awaiting deal for the purchase of the Russian S-300 air defense missile systems has been finalized.

"The S-300 defense system is being delivered to Iran," Ansari told reporters Feb. 15.

Iran and Russia have had ups and downs over the S-300 system deal which dates back to 2007. Iran filed a complaint against Russia at the International Court of Arbitration in 2010 as Moscow suspended the delivery of the system under the $800 million-deal due to the international sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program.

However, with the scrapping of the international sanctions as part of a nuclear deal, which went into force Jan. 16, Iranian officials are confident that they will receive the missile system soon.

Meanwhile, prior to Dehqan's Moscow visit, Iranian military officials voiced the country's interest in importing technology for manufacturing homemade T-90 tank from Russia.

Although Iran had earlier announced plans to purchase T-90 tanks, Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, commander of the Iranian army's ground forces later denied it, saying Iran is looking to produce its own tanks.

Meanwhile, Iranian media suggest that the Islamic Republic eyes purchasing the Sukhoi Su-30 fighter aircraft from its strategic ally. However, Iranians have refused to disclose further information regarding the number of the fighters.

Dehghan's visit comes only days after Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced that Iran plans to boost defense cooperation with Russia and buy more weaponry from Moscow.