Russia defends weapons sales to Iran

MOSCOW (AP) -- Russia's weapons sales to Iran are purely for defensive purposes, a government spokesman said Saturday in response to reports that Russia was selling $1 billion worth of weapons to Iran.
The news reports said Russia was selling Iran advanced missiles and other systems, but the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mikhail Kamynin, did not comment on specifics, saying in a statement only that they were "exclusively defensive weapons."
Kamynin said the sales fully complied with nonproliferation commitments and Russian law.
The statement appeared timed to head off the heated reaction expected from the United States after Russian news media reported Friday that officials had signed contracts in November that would send up to 30 Tor-M1 missile systems to Iran over the next two years.
The Interfax news agency said the Tor-M1 system could identify up to 48 targets and fire at two targets simultaneously at a height of up to 20,000 feet.