Tehran, Aug 24, IRNA – A senior member of the Iranian parliament (Majlis) has stressed that Russian planes would refuel only at Nojeh Airbase in west of the country.
 
Chairman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Ala’eddin Boroujerdi made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Majlis open session on Wednesday.

“The Nojeh Airbase was chosen for refueling because it is located on the way of flights to Iraq and Syria,” Boroujerdi said.

Touching upon the issue of Iran-Russia close cooperation to fight against terrorists in Syria, he said, “That was a joint decision made (by Iran and Russia) to help eliminate terrorists, the sinister phenomenon of the region, and their supporters including the United States and Europe.”

Asked if Russia would still have access to the Nojeh airbase, Boroujerdi said, “This air base is by no means handed over to Russia. Based on Article 146 of Iran’s Constitution, it is forbidden to provide military sites to foreign countries.”

Article 146 of Iran’s Constitution says, “The establishment of any kind of foreign military base in Iran, even for peaceful purposes, is forbidden.”

“The article 146 is respected and no airbase was given to Russia. However, some facilities were provided to Russian fighters for refueling during their flights to Iraq and Syria which was a reasonable decision backed by the approval of the Supreme National Security Council,” Boroujerdi stressed.

It was eariler reported that the Russian jet fighters used the Iranian airbase for refueling in the context of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

By IRNA