Russian Foreign Ministry: No Need to Get Security Council’s Approval for Russia to Use Iranian Airbase

MOSCOW- The Russian Foreign Ministry has stressed that there is no need to obtain a Security Council approval for the Russian warplanes to use the Iranian Hamadan airbase for carrying out sorties against terrorists in Syria, saying that this is a “purely bilateral issue”.

According to a SANA report, Director of Department for Security Affairs and Disarmament at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mikhail Ulyanov said in a statement to the Russian Ria Novosti news agency on Monday that Moscow has used only the Iranian airbase’s infrastructure, denying any talk about any arms sales to Iran.

Russian Air Force Returns From Iran’s Hamadan Airfield after Completing Tasks

Earlier on Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian aircrafts involved in airstrikes against the “Daesh” terrorist organization in Syria last week have returned home from western Iran after successfully completing their tasks.

According to Sputnik, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said further use of the Hamadan airfield for Russia’s anti-terrorist mission in Syria would be carried out in line with bilateral agreements with the Islamic republic and events on the ground.

“Russian military aircraft that took part in the operation of conducting airstrikes from Iran’s Hamadan air base on terrorist targets in Syria have successfully completed all the tasks. Currently, all the Aerospace Forces aircraft involved in the mission are on Russian territory,” he told reporters.

“Continued use of the Hamadan air base in the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Russian Aerospace Forces will be carried out on the basis of mutual agreements to combat terrorism and depending on the unfolding situation in Syria,” Konashenkov said.

On August 16, Russia used the Iranian base for the first time in its anti-terrorism campaign in Syria. Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Su-34 strike aircraft carried out airstrikes against the terrorist groups “Daesh” and the “Jabhat al-Nusra” in Syria.

H.M