TEHRAN – The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday that Tehran and Moscow have not signed a document on using the Iranian air base to fly sorties over Syria.

“Russia made a request to use Iran’s territory to battle against terrorists in Syria, and because the two countries share some common grounds in areas like fighting terrorism, they got our temporary permission for that,” Bahram Qassemi told reporters in his first press conference.

Russia has now stopped using Nojeh air base in western Iran for strikes in Syria, he said. 

“Now, the deployment is temporarily finished” and Russia's use of the base has ended,” the diplomat said, adding, "Russia has no base in Iran.”

Last week long-range Russian Tupolev-22M3 bombers and Sukhoi-34 fighter bombers used Nojeh air base, western Iran, to launch air strikes against Daesh and al-Nusra strongholds in Syria.

This was the first time a foreign power used an Iranian base since World War II. 

No date set yet for Erdogan’s visit to Tehran

On when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to visit Iran, the spokesman said no dates are set yet. 

Elaborating on the relations between Iran and Turkey, the diplomat said Iran enjoyed good relations with Turkey in the past and the bonds are even stronger after the failed putsch in Turkey.

Qassemi said Iran was the first country to condemn the violence and coup in Turkey on the night of July 15, when Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted a message after “midnight”, sympathizing with the Erdogan administration in Turkey.

On August 12, a few weeks after the coup, Zarif met with President Erdogan in Ankara, where the two sides talked for over three hours on various issues.

Tehran rejects claims on assassination plots against Saudi envoy to Iraq

The spokesman also rejected claims by Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Iraq Thamer Al-Sabhan accusing Iran of plots to assassinate him with the help of Shiite mobilization forces by targeting his armored car with RPJ-7 missiles.

Qassemi said lots of talks of that nature go around. “Saudi Arabia is seeking a foe to blame for his defeats and failure in Syria and Yemen.”

The Saudi diplomat alleged claim was also declined by Iraqi interior ministry on Sunday.

Brigadier General Saad Moen, the spokesman for the Baghdad Operations Command, has said that the Saudi diplomatic mission in Baghdad has not communicated with the Iraqi security forces at all concerning any alleged attempt to assassinate Ambassador Thamer al-Sabhan.

Brief detainment of Japanese ambassador was a 'misunderstanding'

Asked about the detention of the Japanese ambassador to Tehran by security forces, Qassemi said it was “a misunderstanding.”

Back in April, Japanese Ambassador Hiroyasu Kobayashi was briefly detained and questioned by security forces in Iran at a dinner party.

Since the Japanese diplomat had no photo identification card on him, also known as a diplomatic card issued by the Iranian foreign ministry, the security forces held him for a short while.

“(However), once Iran’s foreign ministry was informed, they confirmed the identity of the Japanese diplomat and he was released on the spot,” the spokesman explained. 

Qasemi underscored the impunity of foreign diplomats in Iran and said the diplomatic members cannot be arrested or detained.

Two European diplomats traveled with permits in Iran

Qasemi also dismissed the arrest of two European diplomats in Iran, saying, “The two diplomats traveled with legal permit and prior notice.” 

Sebastien Surun, French political attache, and Charlotte Lopez, second secretary of the British Embassy in Tehran, visited some regions of Kurdistan province in Iran last week, when their vehicle was stopped by police, but once their documents were checked they continued their trip.

“It was an already coordinated trip with Iran’s foreign ministry,” Qassemi stated.

MG/AK/PA