Iran criticises Russia for publicising use of its airbase

Iran’s Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan has criticised Russia for publicising its use of an Iranian airbase to raid targets in Syria last week, the Anadolu Agency reported yesterday.

Speaking to an Iranian television channel, Dehghan said this was a means through which Russia could “show off” but.  “The use of the Iranian airbase should have been kept secret,” he said, “but Mosco did not commit to this.”

He added that this was a “betrayal of trust” on Russia’s part.

“We have not given any military base to the Russians and they are not here to stay,” Dehghan was quoted as saying by the Fars News Agency late on Sunday, according to Reuters.

There was “no written agreement” between the two countries and the “operational cooperation” was temporary and limited to refuelling, he explained.

Russia announced that its mission was completed successfully, but noted that it would use the Iranian base again if warranted.