S-300 missile system
S-300 missile systemReuters

The deliveries of Russian S-300 air defense systems to Iran will begin in January, a source in Russia’s military and technical cooperation system told the TASS news agency on Friday.

"It is planned to begin the process of delivery of the first regiment of the S-300PMU-2 air defense systems in January and to complete it in February. Iran is due to receive the second regiment of these systems in August or September 2016," the source told the Russian news agency, adding, "Russia will thus fulfill its obligations to supply the S-300PMU-2 air defense systems to Iran."

The source added that about 80 Iranian specialists will be trained to use the S-300 missile systems at the Mozhaisky Military Space Academy and that the training program will be four months long.

The sale of the S-300, originally conducted in 2007, has been repeatedly delayed due to Western pressure given that UN nuclear sanctions ban the delivery to Iran.

But in April, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree lifting a ban on the delivery of the S-300 systems to Iran, explaining that his decision was motivated by Iran's drive to find a solution in talks over its nuclear program.

Since that time, there have been conflicting reports as to when Iran would actually receive the system.

In mid November Iran said it would receive the controversial shipment by the end of the year, and Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanai later claimed the first deliveries had already come in.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)