Iran stops letting Russia use airbase to strike IS

Iranian officials said today that Russia's use of its airbase to strike IS in Syria is "over".

Russian Su-34 bombers destroy IS militants in Syria. Photo: Reuters.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said today that Russia has "no military base, no military base" on Tehran's territory. Qasemi said Russia used an Iranian air base last week and has now ended the operation.

Last week, Moscow announced that its fighter jets had taken off from Iran for three consecutive days to destroy Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria. A day after Russia's announcement, Iran issued a statement confirming the operation.

Iran's state TV website quoted Defence Minister General Hossein Dehghan as criticising Russia's statement as "showy and impolite". Mr Dehghan also said Russia was trying to show itself "as a superpower".

Iran and Russia both support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia began deploying aircraft from its Hamadan base in western Iran to attack rebels in Syria on August 16. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on August 17 that Su-34 bombers had killed more than 150 Islamic State (IS) militants.

Russian Su-34 took off from Iran, killed more than 150 IS fighters

According to VNE