Iran officials defend Russian use of Hamadan air base
Many Iranian officials were quick to downplay concerns about the legality of Russian jets using an Iranian airbase to strike targets in Syria.
There has been a great deal of traditional and social media chatter over Russia's use of an Iranian air base to strike targets in Syria, reportedly the first time a foreign power has used an Iranian base since World War II.
At an open parliament session Aug. 17, Iranian parliamentarian Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh cited Article 146 of the Iranian Constitution, saying, “The establishment of any type of [foreign] military base in the country, even for peaceful purposes, is forbidden.” Falahatpisheh, who is a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, warned that Russia has a “turbulent foreign policy” and its own “strategic and foreign policy considerations.”
