No permanent Russia base for Syria strikes

The ministry says its jets took off earlier in the day on Wednesday from a base southwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran, to strike targets in the east of Syria.

The US State Department’s deputy spokesman on Wednesday said recent Russian air strikes were unhelpful and even unsafe.

But Mr Toner added that beyond the question of Russia’s use of a base in Iran, its air strikes often “indiscriminately” hit civilian targets and moderate Syrian opposition groups. Russian Federation also gave advance notice to the U.S. -led coalition battling Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, complying with the terms of a safety agreement meant to avoid an accidental clash in the skies, said U.S. Army Colonel Christopher Garver, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S-led coalition.

A top Iranian lawmaker confirmed on Wednesday that Russian warplanes are using an airbase on its territory, as Moscow announced it conducted another airstrike in Syria with jets that took off from Iran.

Russian Federation on Wednesday denied that its use of an air base in Iran had involved the sale or transfer of combat aircraft thereby violating global sanctions.

The use of Iranian base marks a departure from the bombing campaign that Kremlin launched in September to support Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, as Moscow had been using its bases in Syria and Russian Federation for air raids.

The Iranian deployment will boost Russia’s image as a central player in the Middle East and allow the Russian Air Force to cut flight times and increase bombing payloads.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, then gave the first government acknowledgement of the Russian operation.

The U.S. military said it was informed in advance about Russia’s bombing runs out of Iran, and the strikes “did not impact coalition operations in either Iraq or Syria during the time”.

The Russian Defense Ministry has advised U.S. Department of State officials to check their knowledge of worldwide law following the latest statements regarding the use of an airdrome in Iran by Russian warplanes, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov has told the media.

The move also may signal that Russia seeks to play a larger role in regional security, including in Iraq, said Dmitry Gorenburg, a Russian expert at CNA, a Washington think tank.

Russian Federation sent Sukhoi Su-34 jets from the Hamedan base in western Iran on Wednesday morning to carry out a second group wave of aerial strikes against IS targets in Deir Ezzor province, the defense ministry said, calling the operation a success.

“No supplying, selling or transferring of warplanes to Iran has occurred”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. Today (Thursday), the Russian Defense Ministry released the first footage of the bombers operating in the Deir ez-Zor area in Eastern Syria.

US officials said the setup at the Iranian air base occurred very quickly, perhaps overnight.

The new level of military coordination between Moscow and Tehran is likely to complicate nascent plans for a Russian-American alliance against Isil and other groups that both countries consider terrorists.