Russia said denying reports it planned to sell fighter planes to Iran, Syria

Russia’s state arms exporter denied a newspaper report Tuesday that it planned to supply jet fighters to Syria and Iran.br /Russian daily Kommersant quoted unnamed sources in the military-industrial complex as saying Moscow had begun shipments of five MiG-31E interceptor fighters to Syria and that Iran would benefit from the sales.br /”Russia has no plans to deliver fighters to Syria and Iran,” Rosorobonexport chief Sergei Chemezov told reporters at the Paris air show, Russian news agencies said. Interfax news agency said a source in the Russian delegation at Le Bourget had said earlier an unspecified “Middle East nation” had become the first buyer of MiG-31E interceptors, paying a total of $400 million under the contract.br /The United States imposed sanctions last year on Russian arms companies, including Rosobonexport, for sales to Syria and Iran. Russia says the sanctions breach international law.br /Russian officials said this year Russia had completed a contract to deliver TOR-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran, drawing criticism from the United States.br /Under President Vladimir Putin, Russian arms firms have pushed arms sales abroad as the Kremlin seeks to reassert its influence in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.