Turkey will Receive S-400 Missile System Early

Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in the Victory Day parade, at Red Square in Moscow, May 9, 2016. (Reuters)
Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in the Victory Day parade, at Red Square in Moscow, May 9, 2016. (Reuters)
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Turkey will Receive S-400 Missile System Early

Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in the Victory Day parade, at Red Square in Moscow, May 9, 2016. (Reuters)
Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems in the Victory Day parade, at Red Square in Moscow, May 9, 2016. (Reuters)

Turkey will receive from Russia the advanced S-400 missile system by the end of 2019.

"Practically speaking, the contract is entering the phase of realization," said Vladimir Kozhin, a presidential aide who oversees matters of military cooperation. "All parameters, all technologies, the entire deal has been agreed."

"All aspects have been resolved over the past few days," Kozhin said. "The contract will consist of two parts financially: part of it will be paid by Turkey and part through a credit provided by Russia."

"The first deliveries are likely to begin at the end of 2019, beginning of 2020," Kozhin was reported as saying by Russian news agencies.

The two countries on Friday finalized a financial agreement for the project, under which part of the cost would be financed through a Russian loan, the Turkish Defense Industries body said, without revealing details of the deal.

The Turkish Defense Industries Undersecretariat said in a statement that Turkey would buy at least one S-400 surface-to-air missile battery with the option of procuring a second battery. The delivery of the first battery was scheduled for the first quarter of 2020, the statement said.

The Defense Industries agency said the Russian system would be operated under the full control of the Turkish military and "in an independent manner, without any links to any outside elements."

"The system's operation, management, and systems recognizing friends and foes will be undertaken through national means," the Defense Industries body said.

The S-400 has a range of up to 400 kilometers and can simultaneously engage multiple targets. It is capable of shooting down ballistic missile warheads along with aircraft and cruise missiles.



Former Iranian Minister Calls for Iranian Control over Strait of Hormuz

Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
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Former Iranian Minister Calls for Iranian Control over Strait of Hormuz

Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo

Former Iranian Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi has said that tankers and LNG cargoes should only transit the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian permission and this policy should be carried out from "tomorrow for a hundred days."

It was not immediately clear whether Khandouzi was echoing a plan under the Iranian establishment's consideration or sharing his personal opinion, according to Reuters.

Tehran has long used the threat of blocking the narrow waterway as a means to ward off Western pressure, without acting on its threats. The stakes have risen since Israel launched an air war on Iran last week after concluding the latter was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Iran maintains its nuclear programme is purely for civilian purposes.

"This policy [of controlling maritime transit in the Strait]is decisive if implemented on time. Any delay in carrying it out means prolonging war inside the country," Khandouzi posted on X on Tuesday.

Khandouzi was economy minister until the summer of last year in the cabinet of late President Ebrahim Raisi and remains close to the Iranian establishment's hardliners.

About 20% of the world’s daily oil consumption — around 18 million barrels — passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which is only about 33 km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point.