The S-300 missile, called the SA-10 in the West, has a range of 150
kilometers and is capable of striking a plane at altitudes of up to 30,000
meters. The movable launchers are operational within minutes, and the
system's radar is able to simultaneously acquire and engage dozens of
targets.

Russia in talks with Iran over sale of anti-aircraft missiles, despite
Israeli objections
By Barak Ravid Haaeretz Last update - 16:30 16/12/2008
www.haaretz.com:80/hasen/spages/1046920.html

Israel plans to send one of its most senior security officials to Moscow
tomorrow to express concern over Russia's decision to renew contacts with
Iran for the sale of advanced anti-aircraft missiles, Haaretz has learned.

Israeli officials said the government will send the Defense Ministry's
Diplomatic-Security Bureau Maj.-Gen. (res) Amos Gilad to try to dissuade the
Kremlin from supplying Iran with S-300 missiles - which would significantly
complicate any military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

During his two-day visit in Moscow, Gilad will meet with the Russian chief
of staff, the head of intelligence as well as senior defense officials and
diplomats. In addition to talks on the S-300 sale, Gilad is expected to
bring up the Iranian nuclear program and Syria's supplying of Russian-made
weapons to Hezbollah.

Earlier this year, Russia said it would not move forward with the
transaction. In October, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert visited Russia, where he
met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and with his foreign minister,
Sergei Lavrov. The meeting was set up to try and persuade the Russians to
drop two deals in the works - one to sell S-300 missiles to Iran and the
other to sell them to Syria.

The Russian foreign ministry's spokesman said Russia will not go ahead with
the Iranian deal. "We have declared more than once at the very highest
political level that we do not intend to supply those types of armaments to
countries located in regions that are, to put it mildly, unstable areas,"
said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko.

The Russian official added that the Kremlin makes decisions on selling such
systems based on "both preserving the balance of power in the given region,
and taking into account the need to provide stability and security in the
region."

But in spite of these statements, Israeli officials say Russia and Iran
renewed negotiations on the purchase of the missile system several weeks
ago. The sources confirmed a report that appeared in the foreign press on
the matter two weeks ago.

In a recent internal discussion on the matter, Defense Minister Ehud Barak
gave ministry officials instructions to put in a request for clarifications
from the Russian administration's highest levels.

The weapons sales are a very sensitive issue for Israeli diplomats, who view
it as a form of leverage that Russia is trying to apply on Washington. Some
in the Foreign Ministry believe Russia has decided to move forward with the
deal in order to demonstrate a hard line ahead of Barack Obama's entry into
the White House as U.S. President.

The S-300 missile, called the SA-10 in the West, has a range of 150
kilometers and is capable of striking a plane at altitudes of up to 30,000
meters. The movable launchers are operational within minutes, and the
system's radar is able to simultaneously acquire and engage dozens of
targets.