29 Mar 2024
Tuesday 21 April 2015 - 10:21
Story Code : 161192

Russian S-300 sale to encourage successful nuclear deal with Iran

Former US National Security Council advisor on the Middle East, Michael Singh said that Russias offer to sell S-300 air defense systems to Iran would help incentivize other members of the P5+1 to not consider walking away and taking military action or increasing sanctions.

WASHINGTON, April 20 (Sputnik) Russias sale of the S-300 air defense systems to Iran is intended to pressure the United States and European members of the P5+1 to accomplish a nuclear deal with Iran and avoid military action, former US National Security Council advisor on the Middle East, Michael Singh told Sputnik on Monday.

The S-300s have a twofold purpose, I think it is number one to send a message to the United States and to the other EU-3 countries [Great Britain, France, Germany] that Russia wants them to get this deal done, Singh said.
The former national security official continued that Russias offer to Iran would help incentivize other members of the P5+1 to not consider walking away and taking military action or increasing sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced last week that Russia would lift its ban on the sale of the sophisticated missile defense systems to Iran. Putin noted that there was no longer a reason to maintain the embargo on providing Tehran with the purely defensive weapon systems.
The secondary purpose behind Russias S-300 sale may also be to shore up Iran as an ally in the event a nuclear agreement is reached, Singh added.

he repeal of Iranian sanctions could unlock tremendous commercial opportunities, Singh explained. Russia could be pre-positioning itself as the provider of defensive arms [to Iran], or of other types of arms, and the provider of all sorts of other things potentially.
Moscow and Tehran agreed on the delivery of five S-300 PMU-1 systems in 2007 for $800 million. In 2010, then-President Dmitry Medvedev put the deal on hold after the UN Security Council introduced an embargo on arms deliveries to Iran over fears Tehran was developing nuclear weapons.
President Putin's decision to lift the S-300 sales ban took place two weeks after Tehran and P5+1 negotiators agreed on a framework for strict parameters on Irans nuclear program. The framework involves the gradual lifting of sanctions against Iran, including the arms embargo.

By Sputnik News
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