Iran welcomes Russia's lift of ban on missile system delivery

Russia's decision to lift a ban on the delivery of S-300 missile system to Iran indicates the political will of the two countries' officials to improve cooperation in all fields, Iran's Defense Minister said here on Monday.

"The expansion of cooperation (with Russia) and improving cooperation with other neighboring countries in various fields can be very effective in establishing sustainable stability and security in the region," the minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan was quoted as saying by Press TV.

The threats posed by non-regional powers and the spread of terrorism in the region necessitates further cooperation between Iran and Russia, the Iranian minister reiterated.

On Monday, the Kremlin's press service said in a statement that the Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to lift the ban on the sales of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran.

Moscow and Tehran signed an 800-million-dollar contract in 2007 to supply Iran with five S-300 systems.

In September 2010, then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev canceled the contract to comply with a resolution of the UN Security Council, which banned the supply of conventional weapons to Iran.