Iran-Russia Military Cooperation Not Unexpected: Velayati
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – It is not uncommon for Iran and Russia to have defense cooperation in the fight against terrorism, Head of the Strategic Research Center of Iran's Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati said, highlighting Tehran’s outlook for strategic ties with Moscow.
“The defense cooperation between Iran and Russia in battling terrorism is not an unexpected matter,” Velayati told reporters in Tehran on Wednesday, in response to reports of Russian bomber jets using one of Iran’s western airbases for flying to Syria.
Iran has developed a “strategic view” on ties with Russia, which naturally entails political, economic and defense collaboration, he added.
Velayati emphasized that Iran is supporting Syria at the request of the Damascus government, in the same way that it has been offering help to Iraq on request.
He further dismissed the US notion of Iran’s conduct, stressing that the Islamic Republic has conformed to the international law and rejects the US views.
What is illegal is US military presence in Syria, he argued, saying, “The presence of Iran and Russia (in Syria) is legal, because the Syrian government has requested it.”
The comments came after media reports that Russia has used an airbase in Iran’s western city of Hamedan to launch airstrikes against terrorists in Syria using long-range Tupolev-22M3 bombers and Sukhoi-34 fighter bombers.
On Tuesday, Russia's Rossiya 24 channel also broadcast uncaptioned images of at least three Tupolev-22M3 bombers and a Russian military transport plane inside Iran. It said the Iranian deployment would allow the Russian air force to cut flight times by 60 percent.
Later in the day, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said that Tehran and Moscow have developed a strategic partnership in the war on terrorism in Syria, saying they share “capacities and facilities” in the anti-terrorism campaign.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
Meanwhile, Russia’s aerial support for the Syrian forces since September 2015 has given fresh impetus to the fight against the foreign-backed terrorists.
Iran has also remained a close ally of Syria and supports its legitimate government in the face of militancy.
