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| S-300 (Image: Wiki Commons) |
Iran's advanced S-300 air defence system, delivered by Russia following a July 2015 nuclear deal after years of delay, is now operational, state television reported on Saturday.
Iran had been trying to acquire the system for years to ward off repeated threats by Israel to bomb its nuclear facilities, but Russia had held off delivery in line with UN sanctions imposed over the nuclear programme.
"The S-300 air defence system has been tested... in the presence of government and military officials," the television said.
It said that the test at a desert base had seen several targets, including a ballistic missile and a drone, intercepted.
Air defence commander General Farzad Esmaili told the television that a domestically manufactured air defence system dubbed Bavar 373 which was "more advanced than the S-300" would be tested very soon.
Read the full story at SpaceDaily