Why is the Nojeh Base Important?

A brief and cursory reflection on the timeline of the deployment of Russian military aircraft at the Nojeh base, accompanied by justifications and contradictory statements from officials of the Islamic Republic, indicates confusion and lack of coordination among multiple power centers and their current state in the country. On Tuesday, August 16, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced this deployment, stating that Tu-22M3 bombers and Su-34 fighter-bombers from that country bombed ISIS positions and other militant groups in the provinces of Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, and Idlib from the Nojeh base. Following this unilateral action by Russia and the awareness of parliament representatives and the Iranian public about the presence of the mentioned aircraft at the Hamadan base, Iranian officials took to explaining and clarifying the issue, with each person contradicting the other knowingly or unknowingly, adding to the complexities of the matter. In the meantime, the IRGC officials, who comment on all matters of the country, from military and security to foreign policy and economic, social, and moral issues, remained silent except for the Minister of Defense, Hossein Dehghan. Instead, media outlets affiliated with or close to them, such as the newspaper Javan and the Fars news agency, defended the deployment of Russian aircraft in Nojeh and condemned the critics of this issue, emphasizing that the presence of Russian fighters does not contradict Article 146 of the Constitution. Confusion and contradictions Some of the reactions and statements from officials of the Islamic Republic are as follows: Heshamatollah Falahatpisheh, the representative of Islamabad-e Gharb in the public session of the parliament, considered the use of Nojeh by Russia to be contrary to Article 146 of the Constitution; Aladdin Boroujerdi, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, stated that the Hamadan airbase has not become a Russian base and no fighter is stationed there, and the only thing that is happening is that Russian aircraft are using this base for refueling. Meanwhile, Boroujerdi later stated on August 21 that the use of Iranian airspace and the Nojeh base has a history but has recently become public; twenty parliament members called for a closed session to discuss the dimensions of the incident. On August 21, the Iranian Minister of Defense regarding the Nojeh issue said: "This matter is not related to the parliament, and this action is a decision of the system to confront ISIS and terrorists in Syria... We have not given any base to the Russians at all, and raising this issue is a kind of fallacy... As long as necessary, we will allow the Russians to use the Nojeh base, and the aircraft may be armed there or minor changes may occur." A day later, the RIA Novosti news agency reported that Moscow has currently suspended the use of the Hamadan airbase. On September 1, Hossein Dehghan, the Iranian Minister of Defense, in a television program regarding why the news of Russian bombers flying from the Nojeh base was first published by Russia, said that behind the announcement of this news was "a kind of self-display and ingratitude... Naturally, the Russians want to show that they are a superpower and an influential country and are present in all regional and global security processes. On the other hand, they want to present themselves as an effective factor in the operational scene in Syria to secure their share in the future against the United States." Following the Minister of Defense's remarks, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday, September 1, in his first press conference regarding Russia's use of the Nojeh airbase said: "Russia has neither a base in Iran nor is it stationed. This was an issue that occurred and has temporarily ended... There was an understanding regarding Russia that both sides would inform after the operation, which has occurred." Only a day after the Foreign Ministry spokesman's remarks, Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, on Wednesday, September 2, reiterated that Iran has not given a base to anyone, announcing that the movement of Russian aircraft to Nojeh remains in place; only hours after the continuation of the Russians' use of the Nojeh base by the Speaker of the Parliament, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, refuted this news, stating that Russian fighters left Iran for Russia last Thursday (August 19). Aside from the above contradictory statements, which indicate confusion and lack of coordination among the Parliament, the Supreme National Security Council, and the government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense), juxtaposing these statements with reports from Russian media such as RT and news agencies Sputnik and Itar-Tass quoting Russian officials indicates a kind of disarray between Moscow and Tehran in the realm of public relations, suggesting that the use of this base meets the military needs of both parties in certain areas. The importance and capabilities of the Nojeh base, mutual needs The Hmeimim airbase in Syria near Latakia cannot accommodate heavy Russian bombers, and the flight of Tu-22M3s from the not-so-equipped Mozdok base in North Ossetia to Syria due to flight duration, carrying more fuel, and carrying fewer bombs and weapons did not meet Russia's needs for intensifying airstrikes in the Aleppo operation. Using Nojeh reduces the flight distance for the mentioned bombers from 2100 kilometers to about 800 kilometers and increases the bomb and ammunition carrying capacity to four times, close to 29 tons. In contrast to the Mozdok and Hmeimim bases, Nojeh or the third fighter base (previously known as Shahrokhi) is one of the most important military bases in Iran in the west of the country. This base, located 47 kilometers north of Hamadan, has two runways, each over 50 meters wide. The Islamic Republic and Bashar al-Assad's government also need Russian air support to confront Assad's opposing groups, especially given the strategic importance of the Aleppo operation. Iran, due to the obsolescence of its Air Force aircraft and Syria's inefficiency, and its very limited air power capacity, is unable to provide air support for Assad's forces and the units sent from Iran and Hezbollah Lebanon. The length of this runway varies and reaches 3900 and 4300 meters. These runways can accommodate very heavy aircraft up to 350 tons, and the overall flight facilities of this base are such that it can operate 24 hours a day and in any weather conditions, accommodating 70 to 80 tactical aircraft. According to Itar-Tass news agency, Nojeh, given its comprehensive capabilities, can accommodate between 45 to 50 heavy bombers of the Tu-22M3 type. In addition, Nojeh has significant capacities for storing ammunition and fuel. In contrast to this operational and strategic importance of Nojeh for Russia, the Islamic Republic and Bashar al-Assad's government also need Russian air support to confront Assad's opposing groups, especially given the strategic importance of the Aleppo operation. Iran, due to the obsolescence of its Air Force aircraft and Syria's inefficiency, and its very limited air power capacity, is unable to provide air support for Assad's forces and the units sent from Iran and Hezbollah Lebanon. "Ingratitude" of the Russians? At the regional level, the deployment of Russian aircraft in Nojeh represents the expansion of Russia's influence in the Middle East and, in some respects, marks a turning point in Russia's foreign policy in this region. The Russians described the deployment in Nojeh as a sign of deep and close cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, but the public revelation of this issue by Russia without Iran's knowledge reflects a lack of coordination between the two countries—coordination over how long the deployment of the aircraft should remain confidential and when and how this hidden matter should be disclosed to the public. The Russians unilaterally revealed the issue of deployment without considering the sensitivities of Iranian society regarding the presence of foreign forces in the country and the historical and unpleasant sensitivities of the Iranian people towards Russia. The fact that Hossein Dehghan, the Minister of Defense of the Islamic Republic, spoke of the "ingratitude" of the Russians indicates dissatisfaction among government and IRGC officials and a lack of coordination between the two countries, while the efforts of these officials to justify the presence of the Russians in Nojeh and downplay this presence have not yielded positive results.