Russia will sign an agreement next week to sell the advanced S-300 missile defense system to Tehran, according to Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan.
Israeli has been pressuring Moscow not to deliver the system to Iran.
But Dehgan was quoted by the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) on Tuesday as saying the deal was updated this week and will soon be finalized.
As part of the agreement Iran will receive an updated version of the S-300 system. “We will go to Russia next week to sign the contract. There is no barrier hindering the deal,” he said.
Iran’s previous request for three S-300 batteries has been upgraded to four, at a total cost of $900 million, according to Interfax.
“The new contract will differ from the previous contract in that it will have a different price and new terms for delivery,” said a source who spoke to the news agency. “Aside from this, the contract will concern a newer version of the S-300… the modified S-300V4 (export name – ‘Antey-2500).”
The system, allegedly to be delivered sometime in 2016, is “capable of shooting down medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM) with a maximum range of 2,500 kilometers,” according to the Deagle defense website.
Russia had announced this past April that it would lift its five-year ban on the sale to Iran of the S-300.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Israel at the time that the advanced defense system would not endanger the Jewish State.
However, deployment of such a system in Iran would complicate any military attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, Israeli security officials said.
Within the same month, Israeli fighter pilots carried out a joint military exercise with their Greek counterparts over the Aegean Sea, where they simulated attacks on an S-300 system deployed in Crete. According to a report in Israel Defense, the drill included 150 Greek jets and 10 Israeli jets.
One of the pilots who flew a sortie was IAF commander Major-General Amir Eshel, alongside his Greek counterpart. Eshel told Israel Defense the S-300 could be a “very tough but not insurmountable challenge” for the IAF.
Iran is also hoping to buy fighter jets from Russia, according to The Moscow Times, but the report did not detail which aircraft were under discussion. Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan did not provide further details, Reuters reported.
It is likely, however, the purchase will be part of an attempt to upgrade Tehran’s fleet, which at present consists of U.S. jets, for which it cannot acquire spare parts or upgrades.