A still image, taken from video footage and released by Russia’s defence ministry on August 16, 2016, shows a Russian Tupolev Tu-22M3 long-range bomber based in Iran dropping off bombs at an unknown location in Syria.
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Mr. Boroujerdi said the Russian Tu-22M3 fighter jets landed inside Iran only to refuel under the permission of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, a move that allowed them to carry a larger bomb load of more than 20 metric tons.
The Islamic State group meanwhile claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that struck a bus transporting rebels through a border crossing between Syria’s opposition-held Idlib province and Turkey late Sunday, killing more than 30 fighters.
Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says, “Under Article 146 of the Constitution, the establishment of any foreign military base inside the country is forbidden, and it is worth mentioning that Iran has not given such a base to any country.” .
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Wednesday that using the Iranian base did not breach a UN Security Council resolution that requires its prior approval for the supply, sale or transfer of warplanes to Iran. Thus, such a behavior of Russian warplanes could qualify as a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
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 a year ago.
While Russia has claimed that it is striking terrorist targets, US officials say it is mostly targeting the opposition, including those backed by the West.
“Over 150 militants have been eliminated, among them foreign mercenaries”, in the strikes, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
He said Russian warplanes were used with Iran’s consent within the framework of an “anti-terrorist operation on the territory of Syria at the request of the legitimate Syrian government”.
For the second day in a row, Russian warplanes launched from an airbase in Iran to attack rebel targets in Syria.
The UN Security Council gave no such approval, so using by Russian Federation of the Iranian base for airstrikes in Syria is very controversial activity, said Toner.
The Pentagon confirmed on Tuesday the Russian military notified the US -led coalition against the IS before Russian bombers carried out airstrikes in Syria from Iran.
Russian Federation has used the Iranian base to bomb Syrian militants for the first time.
“We continue to pursue that”, he said.
“We’re looking at, we’re assessing it, we’re assessing whether this would constitute a violation”, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters.
“We are discussing this through military, intelligence and foreign ministries”, Xinhua news agency quoted Lavrov as saying.
The bombardment came as regime forces fight rebels and jihadists southwest of the battleground city after opposition fighters gained ground there earlier this month, the Observatory said. Further, to the extent that this increased Russian-Iranian military cooperation causes American, Turkish, Israeli, and Saudi leaders all to doubt the value of their talking to Putin and Lavrov about Syria, Tehran can only be pleased.
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The argument was one of several by Russian Federation that the U.S. and others have clung to as a potential pathway to peace, and which they hope to test when the United Nations sets up a new round of peace talks in coming weeks, even if they accuse Russian Federation of failing countless previous challenges by persisting in bombing Assad’s more moderate opponents.
