Russia’s use of an air base in western Iran to launch attacks inside Syria has come to an end for now, according to Iranian officials.
Russia became the first foreign military since World War II to use Iranian soil to launch a military attack last week when long-range Tupolev-22M and Sukhoi Su-34 bombers took off from Hamedan air base. The news, which was first revealed by Russian officials, led to a great deal of commentary both internationally and domestically. A number of Iranian parliamentarians had raised objections, arguing the military influences of superpowers in Iran have had a damaging impact on the country and that the establishment of a foreign military base is against Iran’s constitution.