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Russia: Bombing ISIS from Iran not violation of sanctions

After coming under criticism from the US State Department for its possible violation of certain sanctions against Iran after it used the Islamic Republic’s territory to launch strikes in Syria, Russia denied any wrongdoing.

Russia maintains it has not breached international sanctions on Iran when it launched airstrikes on the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria taking off from a base in Iran.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday rejected accusations by US State Department spokesman Mark Toner, who said Russia’s operation out of Iran could constitute a violation of a United Nations (UN) resolution that prohibits the supply, sale and transfer of combat aircraft to Iran, unless approved by the UN Security Council (UNSC).

“There has been no supply, sale or transfer of combat jets to Iran,” Lavrov stated, insisting that the Russian Air Force in Iran is only using its facilities and nothing more.

Lavrov told the US not to “nitpick about what is happening in terms of the remaining restrictions on trade and ties with Iran.”

On Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced Russian warplanes have launched a new wave of airstrikes on ISIS in Syria.

The ministry revealed the warplanes took off from a base southwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran, to strike targets in the east of Syria.

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Iran enabled 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 and the first time Russia used the territory of another Middle Eastern country for its operations inside Syria in support of President Bashar Assad.

It is unheard of in history for Iran to allow a foreign power to use one of its bases to stage attacks, emphasizing the deep cooperation between the two countries most heavily invested in the Syrian civil war.

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