The delivery of S-300 surface-to-air missiles under a Russian contract with Iran would violate new UN sanctions, a Kremlin source said on Friday, in a sign of support for the Western stance on Iran.
The statement marked a shift in tone for Russia, which had repeatedly reserved the right to deliver the missile systems to Iran despite vehement opposition from the United States and Israel.
“S-300 supplies to Iran fall under UN sanctions,” the Kremlin source said on condition of anonymity. The comment came after two days of conflicting signals about how the sanctions approved by the UNSC on Wednesday with Moscow’s support would affect the contract. Russian foreign ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said that the S-300, which can shoot down planes and missiles, is not on a list of weapons banned by the measures.
But Security Council diplomats said the resolution’s call for “vigilance and restraint” from UN member states on arms sales to Iran meant that Moscow was being strongly discouraged from delivering the missiles. The Kremlin’s move toward support for new sanctions against Iran had been accompanied by repeated assurances from Russian officials that the measures would not affect the S-300 deal.