Russia-Iran S-300 delivery deal takes effect

The deal to supply Russia-made S-300 air defense systems to Iran has taken effect, Russian state technology corporation Rostec said Monday.

"The contract to supply S-300 systems to Iran has not only been signed by the sides, but has already entered into force," Rostec head Sergei Chemezov was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying at the ongoing Dubai Airshow 2015 aerospace exhibition.

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 follow a resolution of the UN Security Council, which banned the supply of conventional weapons to Iran.

Iran, in response, submitted a 4-billion-U.S. dollar claim against Russia to an international arbitration court in Geneva.

In early April, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to lift the ban on 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.

Chemezov said he expected Iran to rescind the suit against Russia after the first part of the contract was executed.

The original S-300 system, also named SA-10 Grumble by NATO, was first deployed in the former Soviet Union in 1979 to defend the country against aircraft and cruise missiles.

Subsequent modernized versions were developed to intercept ballistic missiles, and the S-300 is currently regarded as one of the most potent air defense systems.

The prospect of the advanced missile systems appearing in Iran worries Israel, which sees it as a direct threat to its security. Endi