Iran suspends Russian airstrikes from its air base

After Russia appeared to brag about its use of an airbase in Iran to attack in Syria, Iran suspended Russia’s ability to make further use of the base. 

Iran announced on Monday it is suspending the takeoff of Russian air force aircraft from its territory, while rebuking the Russians for going public on the issue.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi told reporters in Tehran that the Russian airstrikes on Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Syria executed from the Islamic Republic were “temporary, based on a Russian request.”

The strikes were carried out with “mutual understanding and with Iran’s permission,” he said, and that the Russian mission “is finished, for now.”

Russia “has no base in Iran,” Ghasemi reiterated.

Earlier on, Iran’s Defense Minister General Hossein Dehghan chastised Moscow and expressed Iran’s displeasure at the extent of publicity Russia’s use of an its air base got last week.

Dehghan said that Russian attacks in Syrian were “kind of show off and ungentlemanly” and that “Russians seek to show that they are a superpower.”

Iran was forced to confirm the Russian flights out of its country and the use of its bases a day after Russia made the announcement.

Iran allowed Russian warplanes to take off from its territory to bomb targets in Syria for the first time since Russia launched its operation in Syria last year. This is the first time Russia used the territory of another Middle Eastern country for its operations inside Syria in support of President Bashar Assad.

By: World Israel News Staff
AP contributed to this report.