MOSCOW, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has confirmed reports that Russia has signed a contract to supply Iran with anti-aircraft missile systems.
Ivanov, who is also Russia's deputy prime minister, said Monday that the Tor-M1 systems "can be used only to defend against aircraft at limited distances," the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported.
"They cannot strike at ground targets -- they are strictly defensive systems," Ivanov said.
The Russian business newspaper Vedomosti, citing unidentified sources in the Russian defense industry, reported Friday that Russia and Iran had signed contracts in November worth $700 million that would send 29 Tor-M1 missile systems to Iran in the next two years.
The United States has expressed concerns over the planned sale.
"We certainly do not feel that this is a sale that would serve the interests of us or the region," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said Monday at a news briefing in Washington.
"I think it is important to remember and underscore that Iran is a state sponsor of terror, they have engaged in actions that we think are hostile and unhelpful, and that we view this proposed sale in that context," Ereli said.
