Iran stops letting Russia use airbase to strike IS

Iranian officials said today that Russia's use of its air base to carry out airstrikes against 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 been flying out of Iran for three consecutive days to destroy Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria. Iran issued a statement confirming the operation a day after Russia’s announcement.

Iran's state television website quoted Defense Minister General Hossein Dehghan as criticizing Russia's statement as "showy and impolite." 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