For the first time, the Islamic Republic deployed the Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system. The anti-aircraft system, which was delivered to Iran some three months ago, was reportedly placed next to the Fordow nuclear reactor, a facility that according to a nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic the P5+1 – the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain plus Germany – has seized all uranium enrichment.
According to the nuclear agreement, Iran could maintain the Fordow facility, which is an underground uranium enrichment plant, only if it provided full transparency of ongoing operations at the secretive site to the International Atomic Energy Agency – a reality which was initially strongly opposed by the United States and their negotiating partners.
Since the agreement was signed, the Obama administration defined the nuclear facility as harmless. Whatever the case, Iran clearly wants to safeguard the facility, located in a mountainous area near the city of Qom, against the possibility of airstrikes. Iran’s Air defenses commander General Farzad Esmaili said in an interview to Iranian media that protecting nuclear facilities was of paramount importance “in all circumstances.”