When Russian bombers flying from an Iranian air base struck rebel targets across Syria on Tuesday, it dramatically underscored the two countries’ growing military ties and highlighted Russia’s ambitions for greater influence in a turbulent Middle East.
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Russian Federation has been carrying out airstrikes to bolster Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces for almost a year, but until now they had flown all their missions from either Syria or Russian Federation.
In Tehran, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as saying that Tehran and Moscow have exchanged “capacity and possibilities” in the fight against the Islamic State group. This has been done in the past and both countries granted the permission, according to Reuters. In May, Russia made the long-delayed delivery of the advanced S-300 air-defence missile system, which was ordered by Iran in 2007 amid controversy over its nuclear programme.
The U.N., the European Union, and the US lifted the financial sanctions against Iran after the country agreed past year to curb its nuclear program.
“I think [US Secretary of State John] Kerry got some sort of handshake, but can’t make things public until this Aleppo fight dies down”, Michael Kofman, a Russian Federation military expert at the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute, told Al-Monitor on August 16.
Iran and Russian Federation are the two firmest backers of the Assad regime, with Tehran commanding thousands of troops fighting for him on the ground as Russian Federation provides airpower.
“It’s unfortunate but not surprising or unexpected”, Mark Toner said on Tuesday.
“It speaks to a continuation of a pattern we’ve seen of Russian Federation continuing to carry out airstrikes, now with Iran’s direct assistance … that predominantly target moderate Syrian opposition forces”.
He said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone on Tuesday to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, who raised the issue.
Kerry is trying to reach agreement with Russian Federation on military cooperation in the fight against Islamic State in Syria.
Russia’s clout, however, will probably continue to rise in the region, analysts said.
Earlier, Baghdad-based USA military spokesman Colonel Chris Garver said Russian authorities had notified the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria shortly before launching the bombing mission from Iran.
“It speaks to a continuation of a pattern we’ve seen of Russian Federation continuing to carry out air strikes, now with Iran’s direct assistance, … that predominantly target moderate Syrian opposition forces”.
“The Russians did notify the coalition as per the memorandum of understanding (MOU) for safety of flight”, said Pentagon spokesman Christopher Garver, referring to the US-Russian MOU signed last October to avoid an inadvertent clash in Syrian airspace during their own airstrikes against terrorist targets there. The Russians, who care little for Barack Obama’s “red lines” or the administration’s desire for regime change in Damascus, are boasting of closer cooperation with the USA against terrorist forces in Syria – and they, like Iran and the Assad regime, define all armed opposition to the Syrian dictatorship as “terrorists”. The Defence Ministry said they were Tupolev-22M3 long-range bombers and Sukhoi-34 fighter bombers.
The speaker of Iran’s parliament stressed on Wednesday that Russian Federation does not have a permanent military base within the Islamic Republic, a day after Moscow announced launching airstrikes on Syria from Iran. It says they destroyed two command posts and two training camps.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said earlier that Russian warplanes took off on Tuesday from a base in Iran to target IS and other militants in Syria.
The Observatory says Russian airstrikes on the southern edge of Aleppo, targeting the route leading into eastern rebel-held parts of the city, killed 12 militants Tuesday.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to be trapped in rebel areas, facing potential siege if the government closes the corridor linking it with the outside. Russian Federation has built up its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean and the Caspian as part of what it says are planned military exercises.
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The number of military aircraft deployed at Hamadan Airbase has not been disclosed. It’s understood to be cheaper and quicker to fly out of Hamadan, with flight time estimated to be reduced by 60%. Before Russia was flying these bombers out of North Ossetia as its base in Latakia in Syria is not big enough for these planes.
