Russia will continue arms sales to Iran because they help foster stability in the Middle East, a senior Russian official said Wednesday, quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency.
"Military-technical cooperation between Russia and Iran has a positive influence on stability in this region," Alexander Fomin, deputy head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, was quoted as saying.
Russian officials use the terms "military-technical cooperation" to describe arms sales to foreign governments.
"We developed, are developing and will continue to further develop this cooperation. The security of the region depends on this to a significant degree," Fomin added.
Citing unnamed sources, RIA Novosti also reported that Russia was fulfilling a contract to sell S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran, despite previous denials from Moscow of such a deal.
Israel has expressed concerns about the possible sale to Tehran of S-300s, sophisticated antiaircraft missiles that could be used to foil airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites.