“The Russian aircraft did not plan to stay at the airbase [Nojeh Airbase in the western Hamadan Province]… They left on Thursday according to on-ground operation plans,” Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani told IRIB news agency August 23.
“Their leaving was not motivated by pressure from other countries,” he underlined.
The Iranian official praised the short cooperation between Iran and Russia, saying, “Other countries were surprised by this strategic cooperation and failed to fulfill their intentions on breaking the Aleppo siege.”
He also underlined that Syria’s air support behind the recent operations in Aleppo was conducted according to request from Iranian advisors.
“Contrary to the expectations of the supporters of terrorism, including the US and some regional countries that have hallucinations of changing the power balance, we had to hamper their ill intentions regarding the Syrian people,” Shamkhani stressed.
On August 16 Russian bombers used Iran’s Nojeh Airbase in the western Hamadan Province to launch attacks on terrorist positions in Syria. A day later Russian sources said the operation had killed 150 terrorists.
Senior Russian diplomats later confirmed that Moscow has stopped using Iran`s Hamadan airbase for the time being, but may resume operations from there any time soon.
"Moscow sees no obstacles to the further use of Iranian infrastructure, including the air base in Hamadan, for strikes against terrorists in Syria," Russian Ambassador to Tehran Levan Djagaryan said August 22.
Iran has been sending military advisors to Syria to help the country’s military forces with the fight against terrorists through their knowhow and consultation.
Ali Shamkhani: Russian bombers left Iran August 18
23 August 2016
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Tehran has announced that Russian bombers which last week launched attacks on Syrian terrorists from an airbase in Iran, have left the country August 18.
