Obama calls renewal of S-300 system shipments to Iran predictable

US President Barack Obama said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's lifting of the ban on shipments of S-300 anti-missile systems to Iran was predictable. He admitted that it was indeed surprising that the ban was lifted with such a delay, RIA Novosti reports.

Obama reminded at a press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at the White House that the deal had initially been planned for realization in 2009. The US leader noted that he had met Prime Minister Putin for the first time back then.

Obama added that there had been no sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council to restrict the S-300 shipments.