Russian company proposes production of T-90S tanks in Iran

YEKATERINBURG, Russia, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Russian company proposing to license the production of its T-90S gun launcher-armed tanks in Iran if U.N. sanctions on the country are lifted.

The T-90S, built by Russian corporation Uralvagonzavod, is the latest tank in Russia's T-series. Uralvagonzavod deputy director general Alexey Zharich says his corporation will be able to move forward licensing the production of the tank in the country once restrictions on military-technical cooperation with Iran are removed.

"Cooperation with Iran was suspended in accordance with the presidential decree on measures to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1020 of June 9, 2010," Zharich told Russian state-owned news outlet TASS.

Iranian Ground Forces Commander Ahmad Reza Pourdastan recently said his country would prefer to establish production of the tank in the country instead of purchasing it.

The United Nations imposed an arms embargo in 2010 prohibiting the supply of weapons to Iran. Sanctions remain in place, with the United Nations saying the country violated the terms of the sanctions by conducting a medium-range ballistic missile test in October, with missiles large enough to carry a nuclear weapon.

The United States imposed another round of sanctions against Iran in January.

The T-90S is a light tank designed to have increased firepower and added mobility capabilities from earlier T-series armored vehicles. The tank entered service with the Russian Army in 1992, and later sold to the Indian Army under a 2001 contract.