Tehran warns Russia not to join "US games"

Sep 28, 2010, 12:22 GMT

Tehran - Tehran on Tuesday criticized Russia for cancelling an arms deal with Iran and warned Moscow 'not to enter US games' against the Islamic state.

The Kremlin announced last week that President Dmitry Medvedev cancelled the sale of a S-300 missile defence system to Iran because of 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 two years ago.

'We have signed a contract with the Russian government on the missile defence system S-300 and the commitments of the two sides are clear and should accordingly be fulfilled,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said.

'The long-term interests of Russia would not be fulfilled through entering the US games and this is a friendly recommendation to all our neighbours,' he added.

Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi criticized Russia's decision, saying he expected Moscow to follow an independent course rather than give in to pressure from the US and Israel.

Iran was 'not happy to see Russia being humiliated by the US and the Zionist regime,' he added and accused Moscow of 'writing what these two countries dictate.'

The Iranian parliament's foreign policy commission warned Russia last week of legal consequences if the country continued to refuse delivery of the S-300.

Russia and China are the only two powers that still maintain extensive political and economic relations with Iran.

However, ties with Moscow have cooled since Medvedev took over the presidency in 2008, in party due to increased Russian support of US policies against Iran's disputed nuclear programmes.