In its inimitable manner Defpro.com reports that another chapter has been opened in the row between Teheran and Moscow over the delivery of Russian built S-300 air defence systems to Iran.
According to the Iranian FARS news agency, Iran has filed a lawsuit against the Russian government at an international court of arbitration for having cancelled a contract for, reportedly, five units of the advanced air defence system.
The legal complaint was announced August 25 by Iranian ambassador to Russia Mahmoud Reza Sajjadi.
However, the ambassador did not specify whether the complaint was filed with the International Court of Justice, which settles disputes between states.
The contract, which had been signed in late 2005, includes the purchase of the S-300V model of the air defence system.
The latest version of the S-300 series is the S-300PMU2 Favorit, which has a range of 195 kilometres (about 120 miles) and can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes from 10 meters to 27 kilometres.
The S-300 is considered one of the world’s most effective all-altitude regional air defence systems, comparable in performance to the US-built MIM-104 Patriot system.
It seems that the fulfilment by the Russian side of the relevant contract had become impossible due to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929, adopted in June 2010 in a fourth round of sanctions against Iran.
The resolution primarily prohibits all “commercial activity relating to uranium enrichment and other nuclear materials or technology in other States”.
Further, it bans the transfer of “any tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large-calibre artillery systems, attack helicopters, or missiles and related systems or parts” to Iran.
Defpro.com says that in recent years, Russia appeared to be torn between its contractual obligations, international pressure, as well as the fear of sustaining significant losses by cancelling the contract.
According to a Russian military analyst, a decision not to go ahead with the contract would cost Russia about $1 billion in lost profits, plus $300 to $400 million in fines and penalties.
However, as UN sanctions against Iran were toughened in light of UN resolution 1929, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree in 2010 banning the supply of the S-300, as well as other weapon systems to Iran.