TEHRAN, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Tehran plans to test a domestic version of the Russian-made S-300 missile defense system, an Iranian military official declared.
Russia pulled back on a deal to sell the S-300 system to Iran, citing recent U.N. sanctions on Tehran regarding its nuclear program. However, following a visit by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in October, Moscow opted to sell Venezuela its S-300 anti-aircraft missile system.
Tehran wanted the system to protect its nuclear installations from a possible aerial attack by the Israelis, who bombed an Iraqi nuclear facility in the 1980s. Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said there were no plans to find an alternative supplier now that the Russian deal had fallen through.
A 2005 contract signed by Moscow and Tehran outlined the terms of the sale of the S-300 missile defense system. The missile system boasts a range of around 100 miles and can engage several targets at once.
Iranian Brig. Gen. Mohammad Hassan Mansourian, a deputy air force director, was quoted by the official Islamic Republic News Agency that Tehran has plans to test its own missile defense system shortly.
"Systems similar to S-300 will soon undergo test firing and field modification while other long-range systems are also being designed and developed," he said.
In response to sanctions passed by the U.N. Security Council in June, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed an executive order in September prohibiting the sale of military equipment to Iran.
