We continue to insist on this.
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While the US has mostly sat on the sidelines militarily since then, more than 450,000 Syrians have died in the civil war, and Mr. Assad increasingly has relied on Russian Federation to help him in the fight.
Russian officials have rejected U.S. criticisms that its use of the base could be in breach of the UN Security Council resolution.
“No supplying, selling or transferring of warplanes to Iran has occurred”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, highlighted in comments reported by state-run IRNA news agency that Russian Federation had no permanent base in the country. “It is not our policy to give advice to the US State Department”. Russian Federation also gave advance notice to the U.S. -led coalition battling Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, complying with the terms of a safety agreement meant to avoid an accidental clash in the skies, said U.S. Army Colonel Christopher Garver, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the U.S-led coalition.
“We haven’t made an assessment, we’re looking at it”, Mr. Toner said, “It does require a very detailed, legal analysis [as to] whether there was a violation”.
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. The Defense Ministry on Wednesday announced a new wave of airstrikes out of Iran, saying its jets took off earlier in the day from a base southwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran, to strike targets in the east of Syria.
These fighter jets join operations in Syria with the approval of Iran.”During a news briefing Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Washington was still assessing whether Russian Federation violated UN Security Council resolution 2231 by using the Iranian airbase and he added that the U.S. has not yet made a determination.The UNSC 2231 resolution prohibits the supply, sale and transfer of combat aircraft to Iran unless the council approves.Toner reiterated that Russia’s ongoing use of the airbase to strike targets in Syria “doesn’t help” with placing a cessation of hostilities agreement back on track in Syria – especially in and around Aleppo, where civilians are targeted”.
Defence consultancy IHS Jane’s said Wednesday that Moscow is apparently expanding its Mozdok airbase in southern Russian Federation, from where long-range bombers had been flying their Syria raids, with a “second runway” being constructed since May or June.
“There is no stationing of Russian forces in the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, he added.
The diplomacy comes amid fierce fighting in Aleppo, and new Russian bombing operations from an Iranian air base.
Thursday also marked the fifth anniversary of President Barack Obama’s call for Assad to leave power. The president has acknowledged he’s not satisfied with the situation in Syria, but has defended his decision not to get involved in another ground war in the Middle East and to delay arming opposition groups until they could be vetted.
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The move also may signal that Russia seeks to play a larger role in regional security, including in Iraq, said Dmitry Gorenburg, a Russian expert at CNA, a Washington think tank.
