Moscow  - Russia denied it has plans to sell state-of-the-art missile systems to Iran, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday, in response to questions about Israeli security concerns.

"We have repeatedly declared at the highest political level that we are not going to deliver those kinds of arms into the countries which are in, to put it mildly, unstable areas," Andrei Nesterenko told journalists at a briefing in Moscow Thursday.

A visit to Moscow Tuesday by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was reportedly motivated by Tel Aviv's concerns over Russia's rumoured readiness to sell high-grade S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Israel's foe Iran.

"These decisions are made at the highest political level ... taking into account necessity of preservation of stability and safety for this region," Nesterenko said at the televised conference.

S-300 class missiles could help Iran defend itself from US or Israeli devices that could target its nuclear facilities, defence analysts said this week.

The US and Israel believe Tehran's first civilian nuclear power plant, built with Russian help, is a cover for ambitions to build atomic weapons. (dpa)