Iran defense chief: Russia unreliable

The Iranian defense minister says Russia’s reneging on an agreement to supply Tehran with the S-300 missile defense system indicates the Kremlin is untrustworthy.

“They (the Russians) showed that they are not reliable,” Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi was quoted by Fars News Agency as saying on Sunday.

“What do they think will happen if they do not give us the S-300 [missile defense system]?” the Iranian general asked.

“We don’t care. After all, many of our experts do not approve of the Russian S-300 (missile defense system).”

General Vahidi stressed that sanctions had only led to Iran’s progress, adding that rescinding the deal was a major disgrace for Russia as it showed “they cannot maintain their independence [even] on simple matters.”

He described anti-Iran sanctions as a ‘blessing’ for the Iranian nation “because they caused the country to pay more attention t o domestic capabilities.”