Monday, December 5, 2005
World » Rest of Asia
Iran developing missile defence system: Official
Agence France-Presse
Tehran, December 4, 2005
Iran, under pressure over its disputed nuclear programme, has been developing a missile defence system and has bought such technology from Russia, the Islamic republic's top national security said.
"Is this a problem? Do we need permission?" said Ali Larijani, when asked to confirm reports that his country has bought 29 mobile air defence systems from Moscow in a contract worth more than 700 million dollars.
"We have contracts with other countries to buy or sell arms. This is not the first time we have signed a contract with the Russians. We have done so in the past with Russia and other countries like China," said Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
"This is not the first time we have bought an anti-missile system. We also make them ourselves."
An unnamed top Russian defence ministry official said the deal involved 29 Tor M-1 mobile systems capable of bringing down both aircraft and missiles.
The United States has said it is unhappy with the deal -- which comes amid unease in the West over Russia's role in helping Tehran develop nuclear energy.
Larijani said with a smile that Iran's air defences "do not have many weaknesses", but went on to dismiss fears that his country was also seeking to equip itself with long-range ballistic missiles.
"We always announce the range of missiles we test.
© HT Media Ltd. 2005.