Angry Iran revokes Russia’s use of base
Iran rescinds its permission for Russian planes to fly bombing runs into Syria from an Iranian base, only a week after having granted such access, saying that the Kremlin had been unacceptably public and arrogant.
MOSCOW — 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.
The about-face and the explanation for it from Iran’s Foreign Ministry seemed to surprise Russia, where state news media had been trumpeting the deal as a sign of a growing friendship with Iran. No foreign power has based forces in Iran since World War II.
In response, the Russian military issued a statement saying its planes had already completed their missions.
“The Russian military aircraft involved in launching airstrikes from the Iranian Hamadan base against terrorist sites in Syria successfully accomplished the tasks they had set out to complete,” Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. “All aircraft involved in this operation are now on Russian territory.”
The agreement had seemingly marked a milestone for Russian foreign policy in the Middle East and a strengthening alliance with the region’s Shiite powers of Iran, Iraq and the government side in Syria’s civil war.
The reasons for the abrupt unraveling of the agreement were unclear, even to Russian analysts of the region. Iran’s minister of defense, Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan, accused Russia of publicizing the deal excessively, calling the Kremlin’s behavior a “betrayal of trust.”
With a history of meddling by Western powers, notably Britain, Iran guards its sovereignty closely. After Russia’s Tupolov and Sukhoi bombers started flying last week, Iranian members of parliament said the agreement might be in violation of the constitution.
“We have not given any military base to the Russians, and they are not here to stay,” Dehghan said. The two countries had “no written agreement” for use of the base, he said, adding that it was only a temporary agreement on refueling.
Russia announced what it described as a deal to use the Iranian base on Aug. 16, saying it would shorten the distance flown by longrange bombers, which had been flying from southern Russia.
A Russian analyst of the Middle East, Yuri Barmin, posted on Twitter that it was clear the base was “a temporary arrangement due to logistical difficulties” but added that the termination “was too quick.”