TEHRAN
Iran has welcomed Tuesday Russia's decision to lift the ban on the transfer of Russian-made S-300 defense missile systems to Tehran.
Iran's Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said the decision showed the political will of both countries to improve mutual relations in all fields.
"The development of bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the development of cooperation with other neighboring countries in various fields can be effective to establish stability and security in the region," Dehghan added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed a decree on Monday lifting the ban on the transfer of the system from Russia to Iran, according to the Kremlin press service.
"S-300 missile systems are only of a defensive nature and will not put at risk the security of any country in the region, including Israel," Lavrov said at a press conference held on Monday after the decision was made in the Kremlin.
The contract for Russia supplying S-300 defense missile systems to Iran was signed in 2007, but was unilaterally suspended in 2010 when the United Nations Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Iran.
The missile systems are designed to defend against air attacks and are said to be one of the world's most efficient anti-aircraft systems.
