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Tehran has deployed a recently
delivered Russian-made long-range missile system to central Iran to protect its
Fordo nuclear facility. Protecting nuclear facilities is paramount “in all
circumstances” General Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Iran’s air defenses,
told the IRIB channel. “Today, Iran’s sky is one of the most secure in the
region,” he added. The video below shows an S-300 carrier truck in Fordo,
raising its missile launchers toward the sky, next to other counter-strike
weaponry. The images were aired hours after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei gave a speech to air force commanders, including Esmaili, in which he
stressed that Iranian military power was for defensive purposes only. The
Russian-made missile defense system is one of the most advanced of its kind in
the world, offering long-range protection against both airplanes and missiles.
The first shipment arrived in Iran in April. In 2010 Russia froze a deal to
supply the system to Iran, linking the decision to UN sanctions instituted
because of Tehran’s nuclear program. Putin lifted the suspension in July 2015,
following Iran’s deal with six world powers that curbed its nuclear program in
exchange for relief from international sanctions. Israel has long sought to
block the sale to Iran of the S-300 system, which analysts say could impede a
potential Israeli strike on Tehran’s nuclear facilities. Other officials have
expressed concern that the systems could reach Syria and Hezbollah, diluting
Israel’s regional air supremacy.
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