Lavrov: Russian strikes on Syria from Iran are legal

Russian jets using an Iranian airbase to strike Syrian targets are not in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, the country’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday.

Lavrov’s comments came after the US State Department said that it was studying whether Moscow is violating a UNSC resolution through the use of the Iranian airbase.

“There is no reason to suspect Russia of violating UNSC resolution 2231,” Russia’s Sputnik news agency quoted Lavrov saying.

“According to this resolution, the supply, sale and transfer of certain types on weapons, including combat aircrafts, should be agreed with the UNSC.”

“In the case we are discussing, there was no supply, sale or transfer of combat jets to Iran. These jets are used by the Russian aerospace forces to conduct an anti-terrorist operation in the Syrian Arab Republic at the request of the legitimate Syrian leadership.”

Lavrov added: “If someone wants to find… [violations] concerning the remaining restrictions on trade and other communication with Iran, we should also study how a huge amount of cash from the US made it into Iran.”