Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.4
By Temkin Jafarov, Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Iran and Russia are committed to maintain the regional coalition to tackle extremism in Syria and Iraq, an Iranian member of parliament (MP) told Trend.
"The cooperation between Iran and Russia regarding Syria and Iraq will continue, as they share the same interests in this issue. The cooperation has already achieved a great impact," the deputy head of the national security and foreign policy committee of Iran's parliament, Hossein Sobhaninia, said in an interview with Trend news agency Nov. 4.
"The regional coalition of Russia, Iran, Syria and Iraq is of great importance. It is in the interest of both Russia and the region," he added.
Following the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's request for military assistance Moscow launched a series of airstrikes against armed opposition groups in Syria on Sept. 30.
Moscow has denied the West and some Arab states' claim that the Russian airstrikes have targeted moderate oppositions groups saying the airstrikes were aimed at targeting the Islamic State militant group (IS aka ISIL/ISIS).
Sobhaninia added that cooperation between Tehran and Moscow will also prevent US domination in the Middle East, and it is capable of contributing to the region's security.
Elaborating on the impact of the coalition on regional security, he said the coalition conveys the message to the states in the region that the coalition can protect their independence, security and freedom, in cooperation with the region's countries, and they do not need the American's support for this purpose.
"The coalition can secure the interests of all the involved states," he added.
S300 missile system
He also touched upon a suspended deal between Iran and Russia regarding the S-300 surface-to-air missile system and said, although Tehran has developed homemade missile systems similar to the S 300, cooperation in this regard can also continue and eventually lead to handing over the S300 missile system to Iran.
Back in 2007 Tehran and Moscow inked a contract aimed at equipping Iran with the S300 missile system. The $800-million contract to deliver S-300 air defense missile system was cancelled in 2010 by then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, falling in line with the UN sanctions imposed on Iran due to its disputed nuclear program. In turn, Tehran filed a currently-pending $4-billion lawsuit against Russia in Geneva's arbitration court.