Iran has deployed Russian-supplied S-300 air defense systems at one of its military bases, the country’s defense minister announced. This apparently finalizes an almost decade-long saga surrounding the controversial shipment. The long-range S-300 system was placed at Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base, Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said as cited by the Tasnim news agency.
The general added that the domestically-produced Bavar-373 has characteristics similar to the S-300 and would be mass-produced later this year. Earlier in April, Iran showed off several elements of the Russian surface-to-air complex during the National Army Day parade in Tehran. Russia and Iran signed a contract for supply of S-300 systems in 2007, but Moscow canceled it after Iran was accused by several nations of clandestinely developing nuclear weapons. READ MORE
