Iranians Sue Russians For Refusal To Supply S-300 Missile System

The Iranian government has brought a lawsuit against the Russian government to the International Court over Moscow's failure to deliver S-300 missile systems to Tehran. The Iranian ambassador to Moscow, Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi, held a news conference in Moscow on Wednesday to complain to the Russian media and people.

Sajjadi said during the news conference that the S-300 shipment would not be a violation of the UN Security Council's Resolution #1929, that prohibits the sale to Iran of conventional weapons, including missiles, tanks, military helicopters, warplanes and warships.

The Iranian diplomat told the reporters that President Ahdmadinejad ordered the lawsuit in the hope that the court would rule in favor of Iran and thus help Russia carry out the weapons shipment.

Iran and Russia signed the S-300 contract in 2007 during the Bush Administration. Russian leader Vladmir Putin became the de fact arms dealer of the world by selling arms and weapons systems to countries such as Iran, Syria, Venezuela, North Korea and others.

In September 2010, under pressure from the U.S. and European Union, the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed an agreement banning shipments to Iran of the weapons and equipment listed in the UN resolution.

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