Russia can use Iran military bases ‘on case by case basis’
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Reuters yesterday that Russia could use Iranian military bases to launch air strikes against militants in Syria on a “case by case basis.”
Russia and Iran are both key allies of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and have played decisive roles in the past 18 months to turn the tide of the Syrian conflict in his favour. Russian jets used an air base in Iran to launch attacks against militant targets in Syria last summer, the first time a foreign power had used an Iranian base since the Second World War. The deployment ended abruptly however after some Iranian lawmakers called the move a breach of Iran’s constitution which forbids foreign military bases, and the Iranian defence minister chided Moscow for publicising the arrangement. “Russia doesn’t have a military base [in Iran], we have good cooperation, and on a case by case basis, when it is necessary for Russians fighting terrorism to use Iranian facilities, we will make a decision,” said Zarif. which he said had “very solid potential”.
After arriving on Monday, Rouhani met Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, with the Iranian president saying he hoped his visit would mark a “new turning point” in relations, Russian state media reported.
In addition to cooperation on Syria, energy and defence ties have deepened between Iran and Russia despite meagre trade relations.
Russia is to build nine of Iran’s 20 proposed nuclear reactors and has emerged as a long-term arms partner, supplying Tehran with its S-300 air defence missile system.
The relationship has blossomed under Rouhani despite the countries having a complicated history over territory, oil and Communist ideology.
Rouhani is looking to boost Iran’s economy ahead of elections in May, in which he is expected to stand for a second term. Iran and Russia have become increasingly allied in Syria, providing support that has propped up President Bashar Al Assad.
They helped Al Assad’s forces gain ground in recent months, including in the Syrian army’s major offensive last year to retake rebel-held eastern Aleppo.
Russia’s entry into the conflict in September 2015 — when it began launching air strikes to shore up Al Assad’s forces — helped turn the tide for the Syrian regime, while Iran has provided military advisers and frontline militia fighters.
More than 465,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict broke out in March 2011 with protests against Al Assad’s rule.