Russia to stop Syria strikes from Iran base

Russia’s use of the base “was a task that was performed and that has finished for now”, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said on Monday, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Dehghan denied Iran had “reserved” its airbase in the western Hamedan region for Russian Federation, saying it would only use the base for a limited time in line with the need in Syria.

Moscow’s revelations triggered criticism from some Iranian parliamentarians who said it breached the Islamic Republic’s constitution, which prohibits foreign military bases on its soil.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday: “Russia’s using an Iranian airbase for striking Syria does not contradict UN Security Council resolutions”.

For Russia’s part, its decision to use the Shahid Nojeh military airbase in western Iran underscores its calculation that bolstering its almost year-long overt military intervention – which began dramatically with Russia airstrikes launched from a base in the Syrian coastal town of Latakia – can help tip the battlefield in Assad’s favor.

Meanwhile, the new commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, warned Russian Federation and Syria that he will defend United States special operations forces in northern Syria if the Assad regime strikes areas where his troops are located.

Iran and Russian Federation are Syria’s main allies and have been assisting the government of President Bashar al-Assad in its fight against foreign-backed terrorist groups, including Daesh terrorists. Iranian officials only confirmed Russia’s presence a day later.

Dehghan said that to make up for the delay, Russian Federation had suggested providing Iran with its advanced S-400, but that Tehran was not interested as it is working to advance its own home-made defense system.

The Iranian foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran’s agreement with Russian Federation to allow the use of the Hamedan air base for launching air strikes in Syria is over for now.

Ghasemi reiterated that Russian Federation “has no base in Iran”. The focus of the Iranian government seems to be acquiring the capability and technology to produce the systems in-country rather than depending on the mood of the Kremlin to sell Iran weapons. It was the first time a foreign power used an Iranian base since World War Two.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests – which erupted as part of the “Arab Spring” uprisings – with unexpected ferocity.

He added that Iran’s Shahid Nojeh air base in Hamedan is only “used for refueling”, not for permanent deployment. Iran’s defense minister had said last week that Russian Federation will be permitted to use the Nojeh base “for as long as they need”.

As Iran’s Secretary of Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani put it Tuesday in an interview with IRNA: Tehran and Moscow “enjoy strategic cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Syria and share their facilities and capacities to this end”.

The bombers were supported by fighter jets from Syria’s Hmeimeem base that Russian Federation has used since September to carry out air strikes in support of Assad against opposition groups.