Iran acknowledges Russia using its air base to strike Syria

Associated Press

BEIRUT

In a move that could reverberate across the Middle East, Iran confirmed Wednesday that Russia is using its territory to launch airstrikes in Syria even as a second wave of Moscow’s bombers flew out of the Islamic Republic to hit targets in the war-ravaged country.

The development represents a historical rapprochement with Russia that could rile U.S.-allied Gulf neighbors, strengthen Syrian President Bashar Assad and impact the war against the Islamic State group.

Russia first announced the strikes Tuesday from near the Iranian city of Hamedan, 175 miles southwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. On Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said another wave of warplanes had departed from Iran, striking targets in eastern Syria.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, then gave the first government acknowledgement of the Russian operation. He said the Russians were using Iran’s Shahid Nojeh air base some 30 miles north of Hamedan, a secluded base where Russian warplanes were detected landing late last year.

Boroujerdi said the Russian Tu-22M3 bombers landed inside Iran only to refuel under the permission of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, a move that allowed them to carry a larger bomb load of more than 20 metric tons.