Russia scraps missile systems for Iran

Russia has dismantled and disposed the S-300 air defence missile systems originally intended to be delivered to Iran, the missile producer has said.

"The hardware intended for Iran does not exist any more. We have dismantled it completely," reported Xinhua citing Vladislav Menshchikov, head of the defence company Almaz-Antey JSC, told reporters.

Some elements, which could be reused, have been used, while some other parts have been destroyed, he said at the MAKS-2013 aviation salon outside Moscow.

The information was "absolutely reliable", he said.

The technical characteristics of the S-300 hardware and software made it impossible to sell the system to any other customer, Menshchikov said. "This is why that equipment has been scrapped," he said.

Russia signed the contract in 2007 to sell Iran five S-300 ground-to-air missile systems, which evoked bitter reaction in the US and Israel.

After the UN Security Council imposed new sanctions against Teheran in 2010, Moscow cancelled the contract which was estimated to be worth about $800 million and returned the $167 million advance.