Iran’s installation of the Russian-built S-300 surface-to-air missile system outside the Fordow nuclear enrichment facility is “of concern” to the United States, a State Department spokesman told reporters on Monday.
“We’ve seen the reports of this deployment,” Spokesman John Kirby said. “Obviously, that’s of concern to us because we have long objected to the sale of Iran – of these kinds of capabilities. So as we get more information, obviously, we’re going to stay in close consultation with partners going forward.”
Patrick Megahan and Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies explained last year that while the S-300 system is called a defensive weapon, it can also be used offensively. “Should an S-300 battery be placed on Iran’s southern coast, Tehran could quickly detect American or allied aircraft taking off from local bases,” they wrote. The S-300 could also “[harass] non-hostile aircraft flying over neighboring countries” and disrupt air traffic. Once the systems are deployed, the U.S. and its allies would have to employ electronic countermeasures to suppress this capability.
Sen. Mark Kirk (R – Ill.) criticized the White House in a statement released Monday for “failing to enforce U.S. laws that mandate sanctions against countries that export destabilizing advanced conventional weapons to Iran.”
“By allowing Iran to get destabilizing advanced S-300 missiles at Fordow, the Administration is making it harder to stop Iran from eventually getting nuclear weapons. Especially because the flawed nuclear deal’s temporary limits on Fordow’s uranium enrichment capabilities completely expire in 15 years,” the senator added.
The Iran-Iraq Arms Non-Proliferation Act of 1992 mandates that the president impose sanctions on countries that provide “destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons” to Iran. Similarly, the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 calls on the president to impose sanctions on those who help Iran “acquire or develop destabilizing numbers and types of advanced conventional weapons.” The Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Accountability Act of 2013 also requires that sanctions be imposed on anyone who helps Iran “acquire or develop advanced or destabilizing types and numbers of conventional weapons.”
[Photo: PressTV ]