American officials said Monday that they want answers from Moscow on whether it is selling advanced surface-to-air missiles to Iran. A senior military intelligence official said that while Russia has sent out conflicting responses to news on the sale of long-range S-300 missiles, the U.S. believes it is taking place. However, it appears that no equipment has yet been delivered to Iran, said the official, according to the AP.
Russia's state arms export agency said Monday it is supplying Iran with defensive arms, including surface-to-air missiles, but did not say whether they include sophisticated long-range S-300 missiles.
State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the U.S. is seeking clarification from Russia. "We have repeatedly made clear at senior levels of the Russian government that we would strongly oppose the sale of the S-300," Wood said. "As the U.S. government has said before, this is not the time for business as usual with the Iranian government."
Both the U.S. and Israel have strongly opposed the deal, insisting that supplying such an advanced anti-aircraft system to Iran would shift the military balance of power in the Middle East.
