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ByVladimirIsachenkov The Associated Press MOSCOW PresidentVladi- mir Putin on Monday sanc- tioned the delivery of a highly capable Russian air defense missile system to Iran, a game changer move that would significantly bolster the Islamic repub- lic's military capability and fuel Israel's concerns. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry objected to Mos- cow's decision in a phone call to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and the White House indicated the move could endanger plans to ultimately lift sanc- tions on Iran as part of a proposed nuclear deal. White House press secre- tary Josh Earnest said unity and coordination with na- tions like Russia is critical to the success of the negoti- ations. Washington has said Moscow played a construc- tive role in the Iranian nu- clear talks, despite sharp differences between Russia and the West over Ukraine. Putin's move was quickly welcomed by Tehran, while it worried Israel, which saw it as a sign that Iran already had begun to cash in on the emerging nuclear deal with world powers that is expected to be finalized by the end of June. Putin's spokesman, Dmi- try Peskov, said the missile system could be shipped to Iran at any moment. Russia signed the $800 million contract to sell Iran the S-300 missile system in 2007, but suspended their delivery three years later because of strong objec- tions from the United States and Israel. Putin on Mon- day lifted that ban. The preliminary agree- ment on settling the Ira- nian nuclear standoff struck earlier this month made the 2010 Russian ban unneces- sary, Lavrov said in a tele- vised statement. The framework agree- ment reached by Iran and six world powers is intended to significantly restrict its ability to produce nuclear weapons while giving it relief from international sanctions. The agreement is supposed to be finalized by June 30, and there is no firm agreement yet on how or when to lift the interna- tional sanctions on Iran. The S-300 missile sys- tem, which has a range of up to 125 miles and the ca- pability to track down and strike multiple targets si- multaneously, is one of the most potent air defense weapons in the world. "The S-300 is exclu- sively a defensive weapon, which can't serve offen- sive purposes and will not jeopardize the security of any country, including, of course, Israel," Lavrov said. Deployed in big numbers, the system could provide a strong deterrent against any air attack. If Israel de- cides to attack Iran's nu- clear facilities, the S-300s would further complicate the already daunting task. Israeli Cabinet minis- ter Yuval Steinitz said the framework nuclear agree- ment helped legitimize Iran and cleared the way for Monday's announcement by Russia. "This is a direct result of the legitimacy that Iran obtained from the emerging nuclear deal," Steinitz said. "Instead of demanding Iran stop its terror activities that it spreads in the Middle East and the entire world, it is being allowed to arm itself with advanced weap- ons that will only increase its aggression." Israel has harshly criti- cized the U.S.-led nuclear deal, saying it would give Iran relief from sanctions while leaving its nuclear program largely intact. Is- rael believes Iran still in- tends to develop a nuclear weapon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn't specifically mention the Russian move Monday, but poured scorn on the pro- posed nuclear agreement, saying that "Iran draws en- couragement from the con- cessions that it is receiving from the major powers." "It is a deal that leaves Iran in possession of the ca- pability to arm itself with nuclear weapons, that fills its coffers with a lot of money and that not only enables it to continue its terrorism and aggression in the Middle East and around the world but does not even demand that it stop doing so," he said. Moscow's plans to sell the S-300s to Iran long have been an irritant in Russia- Israeli relations. In recent years, Israel has refrained from providing sophisti- cated weapons to Georgia and Ukraine as part of an "understanding" with Rus- sia that it not sell the s300s to Iran — a position that now may change. Russian officials previ- ously said that the specific model of the S-300 that Russia was to deliver under the 2007 contract is no lon- ger produced, and offered Iran a modified version of it called S-300VM, or An- tey-2500. But instead of manufac- turing new missile systems for Iran, Russia may pro- vide some S-300s from its own military arsenals. In that case, the delivery may happen quickly. In Tehran, Iranian De- fense Minister Gen. Hossein Dehghan welcomed Russia's decision to lift the ban. "The decision is the translation of political determination of leaders of both countries for improving and promot- ing cooperation levels in all fields," Gen. Dehghan was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying. Back in 2010, Russia linked its decision to freeze the missiles' delivery to the sanctions the United Nations Security Council imposed on Iran over its nuclear pro- gram, but Lavrov argued Monday that the Russian move was voluntary and not directly required by the U.N. resolutions. MILITARY AID Russiali sbanondelivery of S-300 missiles to Iran MANUELBALCECENETA—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Former Blackwater security guards stand in line to enter the E. Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse in Washington on Monday. By Sam Hananel The Associated Press WASHINGTON A federal judge sentenced former Blackwater security guard Nicholas Slatten to life in prison and three others to 30-year terms for their roles in a 2007 shooting that killed 14 Iraqi civilians and wounded 17 others. The carnage in Bagh- dad's Nisoor Square caused an international uproar over the use of pri- vate security guards in a war zone. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth sen- tenced Slatten, who wit- nesses said was the first to fire shots in the inci- dent, to life on a charge of first-degree murder. The three other guards — Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard — were each sentenced to 30 years and one day in prison for charges that included manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and using firearms while commit- ting a felony. Lamberth announced the sentences after a day- long hearing at which de- fense lawyers had argued for leniency and presented character witnesses for their clients, and prosecu- tors asked that those sen- tences — the minimums mandatory under the law — be made even harsher. He rejected both requests. "Based on the serious- ness of the crimes, I find the penalty is not exces- sive," Lamberth said. All four were convicted in October for their in- volvement in the killings in the crowded traffic cir- cle in downtown Bagh- dad. The legal fight over the killings has spanned years. Prosecutors described the shooting as an unpro- voked ambush of civilians and said the men haven't shown remorse or taken responsibility. Defense lawyers countered that the men were targeted with gunfire and shot back in self-defense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Martin urged the court to consider the grav- ity of the crime as well as the sheer number of dead and wounded and "count every victim." "These four men have refused to accept virtu- ally any responsibility for their crimes and the blood they shed that day," Mar- tin said. Video monitors in the courtroom showed photos of the dead and wounded, as well as images of cars that were riddled with bul- lets or blown up with gre- nade launchers fired by the Blackwater guards. Former guards get lengthy sentences for Iraq shootings BLACKWATER TRIAL IVAN SEKRETAREV — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE A Russian air defense missile system Antey 2500, or S-300VM, is on display at the opening of the MAKS Air Show in Zhukovsky outside Moscow. GOLDENRULE SMALL ENGINES (530) 526-8121 796 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff (Enter from Trinity Ave.) Comebyandseeustoday! YourLocalToroDealer! Parts and Sales! 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