Russia not to deliver S-300 to Iran in near future: official

Russia will not deliver S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran any time soon despite a lift of the ban, a senior Russian diplomat said Thursday.

"This is not a matter of the nearest future," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said. "I cannot forecast anything regarding the timing (of S-300 delivery), but it is clear that situation has changed after the decision made by the Russian president."

Meanwhile, the diplomat stressed that Russia is not going to automatically re-impose sanctions even if Iran would violate its obligations stipulated during the talks in Switzerland with international mediators.

"New sanctions should be imposed only by adopting a new UN resolution," Ryabkov said.

Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to lift the ban on the sales of S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems after Iran and six world powers, including Russia, reached a framework accord on parameters of Iran's controversial nuclear program.

Moscow and Teheran signed an 800-million-U.S.-dollar contract in 2007 to supply Iran with five S-300 systems.

In September 2010, then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev canceled the contract to comply with a resolution of the UN Security Council, which banned the supply of conventional weapons to Iran. Endi