Russian Federation and Iran are longtime allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow and Washington support opposing sides in Syria.
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The resolution prohibits the supply, sale or transfer of combat aircraft to Iran unless approved in advance by the UN Security Council.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday that Iraq, which lies between Iran and Syria, had granted Russian Federation permission to use its airspace, on the condition the planes use corridors along Iraq’s borders and refrain from flying over Iraqi cities.
Russian Federation sent Sukhoi Su-34 jets from the Hamedan base in western Iran on yesterday morning to carry out a second group wave of aerial strikes against IS targets in Deir Ezzor province, the defence ministry said, calling the operation a success.
Its deputy spokesman Mark Toner told the media on Tuesday that US Secretary of State John Kerry had expressed concern over Russia’s use of the base in Iran in a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“These aircraft are being used by Russia’s air force with Iran’s agreement as a part of an anti-terrorist operation at the request of Syria’s leadership”, Lavrov told a Moscow news conference, after holding talks with Murray McCully, New Zealand’s foreign minister.
“Flying Russian jets from the Nojeh air base (in Hamadan) is in compliance with the Supreme National Security Council’s ratification and within the quadrilateral cooperation framework among Iran, Russia, Iraq, and Syria”, said Alaeddin Boroujerdi said, head of the parliamentary committee for national security and foreign policy.
Syria’s state-run news agency says seven civilians have been killed and nine wounded by rocket rounds fired by armed groups on a government-controlled district of the city of Aleppo.
There was heavy fighting around the Ramussa area and a nearby military academy on Wednesday, the Britain-based monitor said.
The move also will not go unnoticed by Iran’s Sunni-ruled neighbors, which fall in the USA sphere of influence in the Middle East and host American military personnel.
On Tuesday, almost 20 civilians were reported killed in airstrikes in eastern districts.
At the same time the chairman of Iran’s parliament Ali Larijani stressed that Russian Federation does not have a permanent military base within the Islamic Republic.
Larijani did not directly discuss the strikes in his comments.
Iran’s constitution, ratified after its 1979 Islamic Revolution, states no foreign power can have a permanent military base on its soil.
Col. Christopher Garver, a USA military spokesman in Baghdad, told reporters at the Pentagon that the Russians activated a communications link with coalition officials just ahead of the first bomber mission on Tuesday.
“There are no reasons to suspect Russian Federation of breaking the United Nations resolution”, he said.
He added that the US -led coalition’s bombing raids on Syria from Turkey’s Incirlik air base are not permitted by the United Nations charter.
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That raises questions about whether the move was a strategic necessity or a political message from the Kremlin to Washington.
