Saudis consider Russian air defense system

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia is considering buying Russia's most advanced air-defense system in a deal that Riyadh hopes may deter Moscow from selling a similar defense system to potentially nuclear Iran, experts argue.

Experts cited in a string of media reports from the region said Moscow and Riyadh were close to signing a deal on the purchase of Russia's S-400 anti-missile shield. The deal is valued between $4 billion and $7 billion.

The system is the latest version of the S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile system that Russia has been negotiating to sell to Iran.

"The Russians were selling the S-300 in large part because of the money. Now, a larger deal will be made with Saudi Arabia," said a World News report, citing an anonymous Egyptian intelligence official.

Diplomats in the Gulf, however, argue that strong Western and Israeli pressure, capped by a multibillion-dollar deal with Saudi Arabia, may sway Moscow against its initial designs to sell the surface-to-air missiles system to Iran.

Saudi Arabia, influenced by Sunni Islam, is threatened by the growing influence of Iran, dominated by Shiite Islam.

It is considered that the S-400 missile defense deal could be part of a much bigger arms deal with Russia. That would signal Riyadh's break from decades-old dependency on traditional arms supplying nations like Britain, France and the United States.

In late August, for example, Russia's Interfax news agency reported that a $2 billion weapons deal was in the making between Russia and Saudi Arabia. Under the deal, Russia would supply up to 150 combat helicopters, and equal number of T-90S tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.

This week The Financial Times reported that as part of the deal Saudi Arabia demanded guarantees that Russia would not send the S-300 system to Iran.

"The Saudis would rather this weapon system were not sold to Iran or (another possible buyer) Syria," Theodore Karasik, director of research at the Dubai-based think tank, was quoted saying by Russia Today.

It said Tehran was initially interested in the S-300 system in 2005 when a deal was signed. The equipment, however, has yet to reach Iran.

Saudi officials are increasingly worried that Western pressure has failed to sway Iran's development of nuclear know-how. It has repeatedly contested Iran's insistence that its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful.

"The pressure from the U.S. is a stick and the huge weapons deal prepared by the Saudis is a carrot," Director of Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies Ruslan Pukhov told Interfax news agency. "We all know Saudi Arabia buys weapons as a 'bribe' to the world's great powers in exchange for support," he added.