Iran backtracks on Russian fighter purchase reports
By REUTERS
DUBAI - Iran's Defense Ministry said it plans to modernize the air force fleet but denied reports earlier on Saturday that it wanted to buy Russian Sukhoi Su-30 fighter planes, news agencies reported.Several agencies quoted Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan as saying "the purchase of this fighter is on the agenda of the Defense Ministry" when asked about the Sukhoi aircraft, but some later said the ministry had called the reports "incorrect."The ministry's website quoted Dehghan as saying only that "reinforcing and providing the needs of the air force are among the priorities of the Defense Ministry," without referring to any specific purchase plans.Earlier this year, Dehghan said Tehran and Moscow had started talks on the supply of the Sukhoi fighters to Iran.
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