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A group of Iranian MPs has objected to the agreement allowing Russia to use an airbase in western Iran for bombing across northern Syria.

About 20 legislators called for a review of Moscow’s presence in a letter to Speaker Ali Larijani, requesting a closed session of Parliament. Mahmoud Sadeghi, a reformist MP, said the Majlis must “the necessary information regarding the reasons for this decision and its consequences.”

Most of the signatories were conservatives — including Deputy Speaker Ali Motahari — although there were some reformists.

Soon after the agreement for Moscow’s use of the Hamedan base was revealed by Russian and Syrian State outlets on Tuesday, Larijani rebuffed criticism by MPs. He insisted that Russia had not taken control of the Hamedan complex: “Iran and Russia enjoy close views on the solution to the crisis of terrorism in the region and [have] close cooperation, but no military base has been granted to Russia or any other country at all.”

The head of Parliament’s National Security Committee tried a different line on Thursday, insisting that Moscow’s warplanes — including Tu22-33M “Backfire” long-range bombers and Su-34 tactical bombers — had not been deployed: “The only thing that happened is that the Russian aircraft were given permission during a flight to use this base for refueling.”

Neither the Supreme Leader nor President Rouhani have commented. However, the Secretary of the National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, implicitly promoted the agreement when he hailed Iranian-Russian “strategic cooperation”.


Prison Sentence of Journalist Safarzaei Reduced

The prison sentence of reformist journalist Ehsan (Saman) Safarzaei has been reduced from five to two years, according to his lawyer.

Attorney Iman Mirzadeh said he received the ruling in writing on Monday.

Another source said Safarzaei could be eligible for conditional release in November 2016 if the prosecutor takes into consideration the lack of a prior record and time already served in prison.

Safarzaei and three other journalists were arrested by the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence branch in November 2015, accused of being part of a foreign-instigated “infiltration” plot designed to spread anti-Iranian propaganda. He was interrogated for a month and held in solitary confinement in Evin Prison’s Ward 2-A, controlled by the Guards, before being moved to a general ward.

In April, Safarzaei was given the 5-year sentence for “assembly and collusion against national security”.