Russia’s use of an Iranian air base to bomb targets in Syria sends a message to Washington as it weighs a military partnership with Moscow: Join us or we’ll look to your enemies.
Russia’s use of an Iranian air base to bomb targets in Syria sends a message to Washington as it weighs a military partnership with Moscow: Join us or we’ll look to your enemies.
On Tuesday, Iran allowed Russian warplanes to take off from its territory to strike opposition targets in Syria. The move came with little notice to the United States that offered an alliance with Russia against Islamic State and other extremist fighters as a way to get Syria’s government out of the fight.
The negotiations have dragged on for weeks. Russia has grown impatient, with top officials suggesting an imminent deal, only to have American officials counter that the sides weren’t close.
When Russia intervened militarily in Syria last August, it claimed privately that its action would ultimately sideline Iran and its proxy Hezbollah force in Syria, making Assad more conciliatory in a peace process, according to U.S. and European diplomats.
The latest coordination would suggest Tehran isn’t being sidelined. It is virtually unheard of in recent history for a foreign power to use an Iranian base to stage attacks. If Russia is moving closer to the Assad-Iran-Hezbollah alliance, it could spell doom for Syria’s besieged opposition.
Opposition activists reacted angrily to the news. The Russians “are taking advantage of the political vacuum,” said Paris-based Syrian opposition figure George Sabra.
