Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 20
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Accepting Russia's bomber planes in Nojeh airbase in Iran’s western Hamadan city is in line with mutual cooperation on fighting against terrorists, the Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said, Tasnim news agency reported Aug. 20.
He further said that Iran accepted the planes at the request of Syrian government for targeting the terrorists.
Iran’s cooperation with Russia is based on the Islamic Republic’s general policies and approval of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, he said, adding that the cooperation is at a strategic level.
The Iranian minister also said that Russian planes will use Nojeh airbase as long as necessary.
Russian bombers refuel and take weapons at the Nojeh airbase in Iran’s western Hamadan city, Dehghan said.
The IS (Islamic State, ISIS, aka ISIL) terrorist group “is taking its last breath,” Dehghan said, adding in the future everybody will see the results of Iran-Russia cooperation in Syria.
He further said that accepting Russia’s military planes in Nojeh air base is not of Iranian parliament’s business, because no military base was given to Russia.
On Aug. 16, Russia said its Tu-22M3 and Su-34 bombers are deployed in Iran and from there the bombers launch attacks on the IS terrorist group's positions in Syria.
Some Iranian politicians’ raised concerns on the issue, saying the move is against the Islamic Republic’s constitution.
During a parliament session held Aug 17, Iranian MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said the deployment of Russian military forces in the Nojeh airbase is against the Article 146 of the Islamic Republic’s constitution.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of parliament’s Foreign Policy and National Security Commission later said that Russian bombers only refuel at the Nojeh airbase in Iran’s western Hamadan city.
He further said Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has issued permission for the Russian aircraft to refuel at the base.
“Neither Hamadan airbase has become a Russian base, nor any Russian fighter has been deployed there, so this isn’t against the Islamic Republic’s constitution,” the senior MP said.