PHOTO: Head of Iran’s National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani “Iran and Russia” enjoy strategic cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Syria”

UPDATE 1015 GMT: The Supreme Leader’s top advisor, Ali Akbar Velayati, has declared that Iran and Russia intervened in Syria legally, upon the request of the “legitimate government”.

However, Speaker of Parliament Ali Larijani has had to deal with objections by MPs, dismissing claims that the Hamedan base was “given” to Moscow.

We have only cooperated with Russia as one of our allies in regional issues, particularly in regard to Syria. This cooperation by no means entails that our military base is under their control.

Article 146 of the Islamic Republic’s Constitution bans the establishment of any foreign military base in Iran.

Larijani said:

We have explicitly declared our good cooperation with Russia which has come about due to the crises in the region created by the West, particularly the US.

In this situation, Russia has a correct understanding of the region and has had good cooperation with us during the past year.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: A senior Iranian official has asserted that the Islamic Republic will maintain its military intervention in Syria and Iraq.

The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, spoke on Tuesday as Russia confirmed an agreement for its bombers to use a base in western Iran. Moscow’s Defense Ministry said Tu22-33M bombers, some of the largest in its air force, had begun raids across northern Syria on “terrorists”.

Shamkhani implicitly referred to the agreement: “[Iran and Russia] enjoy strategic cooperation in the fight against terrorism in Syria and share their facilities and capacities to this end.”

See Syria Feature: Russian Bombers Begin Operations from Iranian Airbase

After a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart, Shamkhani maintained the line that Iran’s escalation of commanders, troops, and Iranian-led foreign militias in Syria and Iraq is “advisory”:

The Islamic Republic of Iran will proceed with its expanded advisory cooperation with and assistance to the Iraqi and Syrian governments until complete elimination of the threat of terrorist seditious acts in the region.

The official declared “enemy plots to divide and weaken Muslim countries” through the support of “extremist ideology and Takfiri terrorism”.

Speaking specifically about the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq, Shamkhani said:

The continuous successes of the Iraqi army and popular forces in the fight against Takfiri terrorism and a considerable improvement of the security situation in the country have prepared the ground for a leap in trade and economic relations between Tehran and Baghdad as two strategic partners.