It was the first time Russian Federation has used the territory of another nation, apart from Syria itself, to launch such strikes since the Kremlin launched a bombing campaign to support Syrian President Bashar Assad in September past year.
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The Russian warplanes then returned to Russia and no Russian forces remained stationed in Iran, said a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak to reporters about the matter.
Iran and Russian Federation “enjoy strategic cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Syria, and share their facilities and capacities to this end”, Shamkhani noted.
The chief of the Russian Federation Council’s defense committee, Viktor Ozerov, said the shorter flying distance would increase the accuracy of Russia’s airstrikes and allow pilots to avoid advanced ground-to-air missiles in the Syrian rebels’ arsenals.
The State Department’s Toner said the Russian cooperation with Iran doesn’t preclude the possibility of a US-Russian partnership in Syria.
Secretary of State John Kerry called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the operations.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday that Moscow was carrying out the majority of its air strikes on the Syrian opposition forces, while telling everyone its targets are the Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front.
On Tuesday, Russian planes for the first time used the Iranian airdrome Hamadan to bomb terrorists in Syria.
Former Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, who advises the Supreme Leader, said: “The matter should be considered a strategic and necessary cooperation in the fight against terrorism”.
Russian Federation has said that the use of Iranian air base to bomb Islamic State (Isis) militants and other jihadist groups by it did not violate a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution which prohibits supply of war planes to Tehran.
Reports from Syria say Russian or Syrian government air strikes on the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib had killed 17 people and wounded at least 30 others on August 17, the Civil Defense branch for the region reported, as did the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which said dozens of civilians had been killed or wounded in the attacks.
“First of all, they should check the contents of United Nations resolution No. 2231”, Russian military spokesman Maj.
The setup at the Iranian air base occurred very quickly, perhaps overnight, said U.S. officials, who weren’t authorized to speak publicly on military matters and requested anonymity.
Gerges, the analyst, said the new developments put to rest any hope of coordination between the United States and Russian Federation in Syria.
The resolution prohibits the supply, sale and transfer of combat aircraft to Iran unless approved in advance by the UN Security Council, something he said hadn’t occurred.
The second day of strikes extends a new phase in Moscow’s air campaign, suggesting it plans to keep up its strong support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Velayati emphasized that Iran is supporting Syria at the request of the Damascus government, in the same way that it has been offering help to Iraq on request.
The US State Department’s deputy spokesman on Wednesday said recent Russian air strikes were unhelpful and even unsafe.
Russian Federation has opened up a new front in the Syria conflict by using a base in Iran to launch its airstrikes.
“It’s not our practice to give advice to the leadership of the US State Department”, Major-General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
“It’s unfortunate but not surprising”, Toner told reporters.
Iran has long banned foreign militaries from establishing bases on its soil.
Russian officials on Wednesday rejected U.S. criticisms of its use of the base.
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Russian Federation starts using an Iranian airbase to launch attacks into Syria.
