Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected a U.S. State Department spokesman’s assertion that the flights could amount to a violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution banning the sale or transfer of combat aircraft to Iran.
Advertisement
Russian Federation on Wednesday dismissed a suggestion from Washington that Moscow is violating a UN Security Council resolution by using an Iranian air base for its bombing raids on Syria.
Iran on Tuesday allowed Russian warplanes to take off from its territory to bomb targets in Syria – the first such occasion since Russia launched its operation in the war-torn Arab nation a year ago.
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.
Cordesman assessed that the USA would certainly consider steps like raising the issue with the United Nations in an attempt to push back against the emerging Iran-Russian collaboration.
Iran’s National Security Council chief Ali Shamkhani said on Tuesday Iran and Russian Federation “enjoy strategic cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Syria, and share their facilities and capacities to this end”.
Hossein Kanani Moghadam, a former commander in Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, told the AP that Russia’s use of the Iranian air base “doesn’t mean that Nojeh is a Russian air base”.
In recent weeks, the fight has focused on Aleppo, where some parts of the city are controlled by the regime and some by the anti-regime forces. Russian media said the Tupolev-22M3 bombers, which had already conducted many strikes on fighters in Syria from southern Russia, were too large to be accommodated at Russia’s airbase inside Syria.
Mr. Harmer, a former US naval aviator and strike planner, said the basing of Russian aircraft in Iran offers some small military advantages, including good security and better maintenance infrastructure.
The Russian Defence Ministry said it takes great care to avoid civilian casualties in its air strikes.
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.
It said the military aircraft had taken off from bases in both Russian Federation and Iran and destroyed six command posts and a large number of fighters and military equipment.
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.
Toner said Tuesday that Russia’s actions did “not preclude the fact that we will reach some kind of cooperative arrangement with Russian Federation”.
Col. Christopher Garver, a United States military spokesman in Baghdad, said the Russians activated a communications link with coalition officials just ahead of the bomber mission.
“The Syrian government and Russian Federation should immediately stop attacking civilian areas with incendiary weapons”, said Steve Goose, HRW’s arms director.
What is illegal is USA military presence in Syria, he argued, saying, “The presence of Iran and Russian Federation (in Syria) is legal, because the Syrian government has requested it”.
Konashenkov went on to compare Russia’s use of an Iranian base to the USA flying combat missions against ISIS out of Turkey’s Incirlik airbase.
Advertisement
The ministry said the strike destroyed two command posts and killed more than 150 militants, claims that couldn’t be immediately or independently verified.
