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Fight against Islamic state

Iranian official says Russia uses air base in Iran only to refuel its aircraft

Earlier today, Ali Larijani, Chairman of the Iranian parliament, said that Iran did not provide a military base for use to Russia

© Russian DEfense Ministry press service

TEHRAN, August 17. /TASS/. Russia uses an air base in Iran only to refuel its bomber aircraft, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Chairman of the Iranian parliament’s Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security, told Tasnim news agency on Wednesday.

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Earlier today, Ali Larijani, Chairman of the Iranian parliament, said that Iran did not provide a military base for use to Russia. "The Islamic Republic of Iran provided a military base for use neither to Russia nor to any other country," ISNA news agency quoted Larijani as saying. His comment was in response to Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the representative of the county of Eslamabad-e Gharb and member of the Iranian parliament’s Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security, who said that Iranian Constitution’s Article 146 "prohibits the existence of foreign military bases in the country, even if their establishment pursues peaceful goals."

"We are allies with Russia, and we cooperate in the resolution of regional issues, especially on Syria. But this does not mean that we provided our base to Russia for military use. We refute such interpretation of this topic in the media," Larijani noted.

On Tuesday Russian military for the first time used an aerodrome in Iran to deliver airstrikes at militants in Syria. Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bombers and Su-34 aircraft were used in the operation. Russian Aerospace Defense Forces’ long-range bombers earlier took off from Russian aerodromes, while frontline bombers flew from the Hmeymim air base in Syria.

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