Tashkent
- Construction of civilian nuclear plants in Iran as well as supplies of defensive armaments to that country will not be affected by the new round of sanctions against it by UN Security Council, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov here
Thursday.
Plans to launch the Bushehr plant in August 2010 remain unchanged, said Lavrov, and the two sides were continuing discussions about new projects of nuclear
plants. Iran handed over the Bushehr project, started by German firm Siemens in the 1970s, to Russia in 1995.
"As for cooperation in defense-related technologies, the resolution imposes restrictions on the sales of offensive armaments to Iran, while defensive armaments
like the S-300 air defense systems (photo) stand away from its realm," he
added. Iran struck a deal with Russia to buy S-300 systems in 2007, but Russia has delayed the delivery of the anti-aircraft
missiles. The S-300 air defense system is an advanced mobile system that can shoot down aircraft and cruise missiles from up to 150 km away. The United States and Israel oppose the sale of the missiles to Iran.
