TEHRAN, November 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has to fulfill its contract on the supply of S-300 defensive surface-to-air missile systems to Iran, Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Wednesday.

"We have a contract with Russia to buy S-300 missiles. I don't think it is right for Russia to be seen in the world as a country which does not fulfill its contractual obligations," Vahidi was quoted by Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) as saying.

Russia signed a contract with Iran on the supply of S-300 missiles to the Islamic Republic in December 2005. However, there have been no official reports about the start of the contract's implementation since then.

In December 2008, the Iranian media reported that Russia had started delivering elements of the advanced version of the S-300 missile. However, Russia's Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation has denied such reports.

The latest version of the S-300 series is the S-300PMU2 Favorit, which has a range of up to 195 kilometers (about 120 miles) and can intercept aircraft and ballistic missiles at altitudes from 10 meters to 27 kilometers.

It is considered one of the world's most effective all-altitude regional air defense systems, comparable in performance to the U.S. MIM-104 Patriot system.