Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 17
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Russian bombers only refuel at the Nojeh airbase in Iran’s western Hamadan city, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of parliament’s Foreign Policy and National Security Commission, has said.
He further said Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has issued permission for the Russian aircraft conducting sorties against terrorists in Syria to refuel in the base, Tasnim news agency reported Aug. 17.
Boroujerdi added that the refueling of Russian planes is done within the quadripartite cooperation between Iran, Russia, Syria and Iraq.
“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.
“This cooperation is carried out in line with Iran’s goals in fighting terrorism,” he added.
On Aug. 16, Russia said its Tu-22M3 and Su-34 bombers are deployed in Iran and from there the aircraft are hitting the “Islamic State” (IS) terrorist group 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.
In response to him, Iranian parliament’s speaker Ali Larijani said no military base was given to Russia.
“No base in Iran has been given to Russian military,” Larijani said. “Tehran cooperates with Moscow on regional issues, including Syria, but no base has been given to them.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Boroujerdi rejected some Israeli media reports about deployment of Russia’s S-400 air defense system in the Nojeh airbase.
“Nothing by Russia has been deployed on the Islamic Republic’s soil,” he underlined.