Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected American suggestions that Moscow’s cooperation with Iran might violate UN Resolution 2231, which is connected to its nuclear program, stressing that Russia’s use of Iranian air bases to launch air strikes in Syria was legitimate. There are no reasons to suspect Russia of violating resolution 2231.
“According to this resolution it is necessary to coordinate with the UN Security Council supply, sale and transfer to Iran of certain types of weapons, including military aircraft. In the case which is being discussed now neither supply nor transfer or sale of military aircraft to Iran took place.” / “These military aircraft are being used by Russian air and space forces with Iran’s agreement as a part of the anti-terrorist operation on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic and on the request of the legal Syrian leadership which the Islamic republic of Iran also cooperates with upon request,” said Levov.
According to Russia’s defense ministry it used Iranian air bases to target the Islamic State and al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front in the Syrian provinces of Aleppo, Idlib and Deir ez-Zor. The United States responded by defining the Russian-Iranian cooperation as “unfortunate but not surprising,” adding that Washington was still assessing the extent of their cooperation.