AFP, Moscow, June 10, 2010  – Russia is freezing a contract to deliver S-300 air defence missiles to Iran after the adoption of the new UN sanctions against Tehran, a Russian source told the Interfax news agency on Thursday.

’It is compulsory to fulfill a decision by the UN Security Council and Russia is not an exception here,’ said the source in the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation, which supervises Russian arms sales.

’Naturally, the contract for the delivery to Tehran of the S-300 air defence missile systems will be frozen,’ added the source, who was not named.

Russia several years ago agreed the deal on the S-300 missile systems but has never delivered the weapons amid pressure from the United States and Israel which fear they would dramatically improve Iran’s defensive capabilities.

Its failure to deliver the missiles has disappointed Iran’s Islamic leadership and become a major sticking point in once strong bilateral ties.