MOSCOW, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday ordered the shipment of five S300VM Antey-2500 surface-to-air missile defense systems to Iran.
Putin ordered officials to prepare to ship the missile systems to the Islamic Republic, saying in exchange he expects Iran to cancel its $4 billion lawsuit against Russia, the Russian website Vestnikkavkasa.net reported.
Iran's Ambassador to Russia Seyed Mahmoud Reza Sajadi said his country is prepared to make the compromise, the website said.
Iran filed a lawsuit against Russia after it reneged on a 2007 agreement to supply the Islamic Republic with at least five S300 VM Antey-2500 missile defense systems, a modified version of the more advanced S300 systems.
Putin also said Russia will go ahead with a deal to build a second nuclear power station in Bushehr in Iran, the site noted. Putin will discuss both issues in his upcoming visit to Iran on Friday, the website said.
The Kuwaiti newspaper al Rai reported Tuesday that Russia recently transferred a number of advanced S-300 missile defense batteries to Syria. The report said since Aug. 21, when hundreds of Syrian civilians were killed in a chemical weapons attack by the Syrian regime, Russia has accelerated shipments of arms to President Bashar Assad's regime.
