MOSCOW. July 31 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia is likely to supply at least USD5bn worth of conventional arms, in particular airplanes, helicopters, submarines and air defense systems to Iran before 2005, according to Radzhab Safarov, the director of the Russian Center of Iranian Studies.
"Russia's proceeds from first supplies of conventional arms to Iran must total at least USD1.5bn," he told a news conference in Moscow on Wednesday as he commented on the draft of the long-term program for trade, economic, industrial and technological cooperation with Iran recently approved by the Russian Cabinet.
In that draft, "Russia tells the world that its arms supply to Iran will continue and that Moscow will supply conventional weapons to Tehran without any consultations or even discussions with third parties," Safarov said.
The Bushehr and other nuclear power plants to be built with Russian aid will certainly be protected by most reliable air defense systems and meet international standards, he said.
Iran may use those systems "to both monitor the country's area and prevent outside attacks on the country," Safarov said.