Iran has given Russian commercial pilots working in the Islamic Republic two months to leave the country as it has no need for them, Transport Minister Hamid Behbahani was quoted as saying on Saturday.
The move is a further sign of strains between Iran and Russia, which has indicated it could back new sanctions against Tehran over its disputed nuclear work. For its part, Iran has voiced frustration over Moscow's failure to deliver a defense missile system.
Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency said the idea to order the Russian pilots to leave the country gained momentum after a Russian-made aircraft caught fire as it landed in northeastern Iran in January, injuring more than 40 people.
The plane belonged to Iran's Taban airline but the pilot was Russian, Fars said. It did not say how many Russians currently worked as pilots for Iranian airlines.
"Upon an order from the president (Mahmoud Ahmadinejad), the Road and Transport Ministry has set a two-month deadline, upon the expiry of which all Russian pilots will have to leave the country," Behbahani said.
"When our country itself possesses plenty of professional and specialist pilots, there is no need to bring in pilots from abroad," he told Fars.
Iran has suffered a string of crashes in the past few decades, many involving Russian-made aircraft.
In 2009 a Tupolev aircraft flying to Armenia caught fire in mid-air and crashed, killing all 168 people on board.
Earlier Iran announced an arrest of two Russians during demonstrations that marked the 31st anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution.
According to the SNA news agency, one Russian national has been arrested for illegal arrival to Iran and his case is being investigated by the Tehran prosecutor's office. The second Russian national was found not guilty and released from prison.
In addition to Russian nationals, a French, a Japanese and an Afghan have been arrested the same day. The first two were soon also released, but the Afghan was accused of taking part in illegal demonstrations organized by the Iranian opposition, the agency reports citing the Tehran Prosecutor General Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi.
Department of Monitoring,
Kavkaz Center
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