Last Wednesday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani initially denied Tehran had permitted Russian Federation to use the base, citing a law, he said, bans foreign presence on Iran’s military bases, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
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On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry official spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told reporters in Tehran that Russian Federation stopped using the base in Iran.
Earlier in the day, the Iranian government said Russian Federation has stopped using the base for military operation in Syria.
“Future use of the base will now only take place on the basis of mutual agreements between our countries on the fight against terrorism and will depend on developments in Syria”, Defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said yesterday.
On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Russia’s use of the base had ended.
“We have not given any military base to the Russians, and they are not here to stay”, Dehghan said.
A week after allowing Russian planes to fly bombing runs into Syria from a base inside its borders, Iran reversed course on Monday and withdrew permission for the flights, complaining that the Kremlin had been too public about the arrangement.
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) made this statement following the news that Russian bomber aircraft launched from an airbase in Iran.
Iran only confirmed the flights and the use of its bases a day after Russian Federation made the announcement.
22 had insisted that Russia’s use of the base was finished “for now”. On September 30, when global criticism of the Russian military buildup in Syria was mounting, Moscow began extensive air operations in the country, declaring that it was fighting against terrorism.
Russia, like Iran, is a key ally of Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. Dzhagaryan said, however, that he does “not see any reason” why the Russians can’t use the Iranian base again.
But Iran’s minister of defense, Brig.
On Tuesday, CEO of Russia’s Helicopters Company said business talks are in progress with Iran on the sale of new Ansat and Kamov KA-226T ambulance helicopters. Earlier last week, Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan had not ruled out possible ceding other airbases to Russian Federation ‘if the situation demanded’.
“In accordance with the request issued by the Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani, the intercept of a simulated ballistic missile will be the first test”.
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Moscow had previously used short-range craft stationed at its Hmeimim airbase outside the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, as well as ships in the Caspian Sea and a submarine in the Mediterranean, to bombard rebels in Syria.
