A Russian official says Moscow is not planning to provide Tehran with S-300 air defense systems despite previous reports. Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee said that sending S-300 missiles to Iran was out of the question, the Press TV correspondent reported on Wednesday. The top Russian parliamentarian added that the Russian Defense Ministry had announced that supplying Iran with the advanced anti-aircraft system was not on the country's agenda.
Kosachev added that military and technical cooperation between Russia and Iran is fully in line with Moscow's commitment to the international community.
The head of the Russian State Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee welcomed the US new policy of engagement with Iran; however, he believed there would be no major development in the near future. "The signals from Washington to Tehran are aimed at supporting those political forces in Iran which Washington believes are more progressive and open to cooperation, but I can not call it a far sighted policy, because Iran is a very independent state, insusceptible to outside influences," Kosachev added.
The news come as the Russian President and his newly elected US counterpart are preparing for their first meeting amid speculations that they will try to coordinate their policies towards Iran.