BICOM

Israeli officials responded yesterday with concern to the news that Russia has decided to sell an advanced anti-missile system to Iran.

Moscow yesterday announced that it had lifted a freeze on the sale of the S-300 system, in place since 2010 following international concerns over the Tehran regime and subsequent global sanctions. The S-300 system represents a significant upgrade to Iran’s air defence system, complicating any future potential military action against its nuclear facilities.

Speaking to the TASS news agency, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov assured that the S-300 system is “purely defensive” and “will not put at risk the security of any regional state, including Israel.” However, he also revealed that the timing of the sale came about as “We see no need to continue” withholding the advanced weaponry “given progress in talks on Iran’s nuclear program.”

It was a point emphasised in the response of Israeli leaders. Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said that the sale is “the direct result of the legitimacy that Iran is receiving from the nuclear deal being made with it.” He added that it is further evidence that “lifting of the sanctions will be exploited for armaments and not used for the welfare of the Iranian people.” Steinitz also warned against Iran “being allowed to arm itself with advanced weapons that will only increase its aggression.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed similar concerns, commenting, “The message that Iran is receiving from this is that it is not being called upon to halt its aggression, but that it can continue and even increase this aggression, and this is exactly what it is doing.” A Channel Two report yesterday said that Israel has noted a recent increase in Iranian arms shipments to Hezbollah and to Hamas in Gaza.

Meanwhile, US State Department Spokesperson Marie Harf commented on the Russian S-300 sale, saying “Given Iran’s destabilizing actions in the region … this is not the time to be selling those kind of systems.”