WASHINGTON
The U.S. is troubled by the delivery of Russian-made defense missile systems to Iran, an Obama administration official said Monday.
"It's not constructive at this time for Russia to move forward with it," said State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf.
The U.S.’s reaction came after Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to lift a ban on the transfer of the systems to Iran.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Iran was in need of a modern air defense system in the light of recent developments in Yemen, where military activity has "rapidly developed in recent weeks."
Sale of the missile system was cancelled five years ago when the UN imposed sanctions on Iran because of its nuclear program.
But Russia gave new life to the sale of arms to Iran as Tehran and world powers agreed earlier this month on a framework deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
Harf said Secretary of State John Kerry has spoken to Lavrov regarding the sale and the Russian move would not affect the ongoing nuclear talks.
"This is a little bit of a separate issue than the nuclear issue. We don't expect it to impact the unity on the talks."
Reiterating its strong opposition to nuclear negotiation with Iran, Israel also condemned the Russian move.
"This is a direct result of the legitimacy that Iran obtained from the emerging nuclear deal,” said Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz, local news reported.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest responded to Israeli concerns. The U.S. "certainly takes very seriously the safety and security of our allies in the region," he said.
Iran welcomes Russia's decision to lift ban on missile systems
Iran has welcomed Tuesday Russia's decision to lift the ban on the transfer of Russian-made S-300 defense missile systems to Tehran.
Iran's Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said the decision showed the political will of both countries to improve mutual relations in all fields.
"The development of bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the development of cooperation with other neighboring countries in various fields can be effective to establish stability and security in the region," Dehghan added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed a decree on Monday lifting the ban on the transfer of the system from Russia to Iran, according to the Kremlin press service.
"S-300 missile systems are only of a defensive nature and will not put at risk the security of any country in the region, including Israel," Lavrov said at a press conference held on Monday after the decision was made in the Kremlin.
The contract for Russia supplying S-300 defense missile systems to Iran was signed in 2007, but was unilaterally suspended in 2010 when the United Nations Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Iran.
The missile systems are designed to defend against air attacks and are said to be one of the world's most efficient anti-aircraft systems.
