Why did Russian use of Iranian air base stir up controversy?
Despite controversy, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says Russian planes in Iran left according to a previously designated agreement.
When Russia announced last week that it had launched airstrikes against Syrian opposition forces from western Iran, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), was the first Iranian official to indirectly confirm the news. Shortly thereafter, a number of other officials both confirmed the news and defended it, arguing that it was part of a strategic pact between the two countries to fight terrorism in the region.
Iranian parliamentarians raised concerns about the possibility of a foreign country establishing a military base in the country, which would violate the Iranian Constitution. High-ranking officials responded that the use of Hamedan air base was strictly for refueling purposes, while other officials assured the media that Russian planes would remain in Iran temporarily. The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced Aug. 22 that the planes had left Iran "for the time being."
