MOSCOW, April 7 (UPI) -- Despite intense pressure from the West, Russia plans to deliver its advanced S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Iran.
"Contracts have been signed, and they are being implemented -- they have not been torn up," head of the Federal Agency for Military Cooperation Mikhail Dmitriyev told Russia's Ria Novosti news agency.
The official, however, fell well short of providing a clear delivery date for the system, which the Islamic republic could use to protect its nuclear facilities from airstrikes.
Iran has accused the United States of trying to scupper the deal for fear that Iran may reverse- engineer the system.
Angered by delays in the delivery, Tehran has threatened to build its own missile defense system if Russia caved into Western demands to resist the missile sale.
Russia signed a contract with Iran on the supply of at least five S-300 air defense systems to Tehran in December 2005. The deal though has yet to be finalized with the West pressuring Moscow to distance itself from Iran in a dispute over its nuclear program.
Russia has since then refused to rule out delivering the S-300 anti-aircraft systems.
Both the United States and Israel have not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to resolve the nuclear program spat.
Earlier this week a senior cleric in the Revolutionary Guards threatened again that Iran would strike with missiles fired at "the heart of Tel Aviv" if it were attacked by Israel.
The threat was coupled by similar warnings from the country's defense minister, Ahmad Vahidi, who said Iranian intelligence was "preventing Israel from engaging in any type of adventure," according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
The S-300 system, which can shoot down cruise missiles, track targets and fire at aircraft up to 90 miles away, features high jamming immunity. It is able to simultaneously track up to 100 targets.
Mounted on a truck, the S-300MPUM1 can fire missiles traveling at more than 2 kilometers per second, experts say.
Iranian officials have not indicated what type of land-to-air-missile defense system they can manufacturer in replacement of the Russian order.
Iranian officials have said Tehran could seek recourse with an international court and sue Russia should Moscow refuse to fulfill its commitments on the delivery of the S-300 system.
Washington has been urging Russia to support tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, which the West suspects is intended to produce nuclear weapons. Tehran, though, has repeatedly spurned the claim, saying it is for power generation only.
