Kremlin tallies brisk arms sales in 2013

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MOSCOW, March 2 (UPI) -- Russia's arms industry rang up $2.5 billion in sales during the first two months of 2013, the Kremlin said.

Alexander Fomin, head of the Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation, said the country had also booked international orders worth $46 billion, most of which will be filled in the next three or four years.

"In the first month of this year, we sold arms worth $1 billion. In the first two months, total weapons sales exceeded $2.5 billion," Fomin told Ekho Moskvy radio.

Fomin said Moscow and Iraq were still negotiating a deal valued at $4.2 billion.

A lucrative sale of anti-aircraft missiles to Iran was called off, leading to a $4 billion lawsuit filed by the Iranians, Russia's RIA Novosti news agency said.

Fomin said Russia was stuck with the unsold S-300 missiles, which he said were custom made for the Iranians and difficult to sell to another country.