Iran buying Russian Su-30 fighter jets, military confirms

PanARMENIAN.Net - Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehghan said that purchase of Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets is on the agenda, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday, November 26.

Dehghan further said that Iran will certainly negotiate with any country, excluding the US and Israel, to meet its defense demands.

Moscow and Tehran have been discussing the delivery of the Su-30 aircraft for quite a time. In February, a high-ranking official in the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation said that the contract for the delivery of Russian Su-30SM fighters could be signed in 2016, but so far the parties are only negotiating the issue.

Dehghan further dwelled upon the reports about possibility of Russian bombers’ reusing the Nojeh Airbase in Iran’s western province of Hamadan, saying Iran is cooperating with friendly countries, including Russia to support Syria’s legal government.

If this support needs the reuse of the base, Iran will agree, he said.

On August 16, Russian bombers used Iran’s Nojeh to launch attacks on terrorist positions in Syria. A day later Russian sources said the operation killed 150 terrorists.

Some Iranian politicians’ raised concerns on the issue, saying the move is against the Islamic Republic’s constitution.

Senior Russian diplomats later confirmed that Moscow has stopped using Iran's Hamadan airbase for the time being, but may resume operations from there any time soon.

Iran has been sending military advisors to Syria to help the country’s military forces in the fight against terrorists through their know-how and consultations.