Iran regrets Russia's decision to cancel arms deal

Sep 23, 2010, 21:32 GMT

Tehran - Iran on Thursday regretted Russia's decision to cancel an arms deal with the Islamic republic, ISNA news agency reported.

The Kremlin announced Wednesday that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev cancelled a planned arms deal with Iran because of the United Nations Security Council sanctions against the country.

The presidential decree forbade the transfer of tanks, artillery, war ships, helicopters and missile defence systems to Iran. Tehran had ordered the missile defence system S-300 two years ago.

'How can Russia justify this decision? We hoped Russia would have followed an independent course,' Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said.

The minister speculated that the Russian move was due to pressure by Iranian arch-foes, the United States and Israel.

'We are definitely not happy that Russia is humiliated by the US and the Zionist regime (Israel) and not happy either that it is said (in Iran) that Moscow writes what these two countries dictate,' Vahidi said.

While regretting that Moscow did not fulfil its contract with Iran from 2008, the minister said that Iran could manufacture its own missiles and was not dependent on Russia in this regard.