TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confirmed that Russia can use Iranian military bases for airstrikes targeting terrorists in Syria on a “case by case basis.”
The Iranian foreign minister told this to Reuters, adding, “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”.
According to RT news, Russia used the Hamadan Airbase in Iran to carry out attacks in August 2016 against militants in Syria. Tehran then granted Russia permission to deploy an undisclosed number of Tupolev Tu-22M3 supersonic long-range strategic bombers and Sukhoi Su-34 strike fighters.
Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said at the time that the Russian deployment was temporary, but would last “as long as needed.”