Russia seeking amicable settlement in Iran S-300 lawsuit

TEHRAN,June 1(MNA) – Moscow is trying to persuade Tehran to withdraw its lawsuit against Russia’s state-run arms export company Rosoboronexport over a cancelled deal to supply S-300 air defense systems to Iran, according to Russian Technologies (Rostech) CEO Sergei Chemezov. Iran’s Defense Ministry and Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization have launched a $4 billion lawsuit against Rosoboronexport in an international arbitration court in Geneva in April 2011. “The lawsuit is being considered by an arbitration court in Geneva and, unfortunately, our chances to win the case are very slim,” Chemezov told RIA Novosti at the opening ceremony of a Russian grenade-launcher assembly facility in Jordan on Thursday. “We are trying to agree an amicable settlement with Iran, but no progress has been made so far,” he said. According to Iranian officials, Tehran will withdraw its lawsuit only if Russia fulfills the original contract. Russia signed a deal to deliver five batteries of S-300PMU-1 air defense systems to Iran in 2007 but cancelled the sale in September 2010, claiming the systems, along with a number of other weapons, were covered by the fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. Iran says Russia’s cancellation of the delivery of the S-300 system is a violation of the contract signed by the two countries. The S-300 system, which can track targets and fire at aircraft 120 kilometers (75 miles) away, features high jamming immunity and is able to simultaneously engage up to 100 targets. Chemezov criticized on Thursday the United States for the lack of support in the case. He said Washington applied heavy pressure on Moscow to stop the deal but later changed its rhetoric saying the UN resolution did not mention specifically the S-300, known in the West as SA-10 Grumble, and Russia acted on its own. “The Americans now agree that it is a defensive system and Russia alone should be responsible for the breach of the contract,” Chemezov said.