Russia has decided to stop using Iran's air base to launch air strikes on Syrian militants, reported The Washington Post. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Bahram Ghasemi Moscow was using the country's Hamadan Air Base temporarily, on request. He also confirmed that the Vladimir Putin government does not have an air base in Iran.
This comes less than a week after it was reported that Russia used the Iranian air base to carry out air strikes against militants in war-torn Syria. This led analysts to speculate that the Kremlin's ties with Tehran were getting closer. Long-range Russian Tupolev-22M3 bombers and Sukhoi-34 fighter bombers were launched from the country's Hamadan air base.
Reacting to the Russian media coverage of the development, Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan said the country had exhibited a "show-off" attitude, reported BBC. "There has been a kind of showing-off and inconsiderate attitude behind the announcement of this news," Dehghan said. He added that the Russians were keen to show that they were a superpower and an influential country and that they are active in security issues in the region and the world. The Russian government has yet to put out a statement regarding the same.
This was the first time that Russia used a different nation's territory to launch its attacks in Syria. The Kremlin began its bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in September last year. Moreover, the last time Iran allowed another nation to use its territory for military operations was during the Islamic revolution in 1979. Moving through Iran allowed the Russian air force to shorten the length of its flights and use its bombs more efficiently.
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