S-300 is defensive weapon not to be used to harm any country-Security Council chief

MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. The S-300 air defence launchers are a purely defensive weapon and the decision to sell them to Iran was made in an international situation very different from that of 2010, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has told the media. He recalled that Russia in 2010 made a temporary decision against supplying the launchers to Iran of its own accord. "Now the international situation has changed, so the Russian president has made a decision to implement that contract," Patrushev said. "It should be borne in mind that S-300 is an exclusively defensive weapon, and it will not be used to harm any country but serve the purpose of maintaining security," Patrushev said. In the wake of its decision to honor the contract Moscow is expecting Iran will revoke its lawsuit over the S-300 affair. As the deputy chief of Russia’s Security Council Yevgeny Lukyanov has said, "Russia will comply with its commitment which it suspended in the past thereby evoking the litigation. Now we are making a different decision. These are inter-related things," he said. President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a decree permitting the deliveries of S-300 to Iran. The decree was effective immediately. At the same time the Kremlin said it remained to be seen when the air defence launchers would begin to be supplied to Iran, but at the same time pointed out that no restrictions applied any more. "In this particular case the questions of contracts whether or not [a new contract for S-300 will have to be concluded] are yet to be discussed and decided by the contracting parties, if need be," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media. "In general it can be stated that from the juridical standpoint no restrictions exist anymore following the signing of the decree," Peskov said. He offered no hints as to when the deliveries might begin, though. "I cannot say anything definite about the dates. I do not know," he said. Read more