Nine lives of Persian Cats.
Translation from polish military news site.
Source:
http://www.konflikty.pl/aktualnosci/wiadomosci/iranskie-f-14-u-boku-tu-95sm/
Iranian F-14 Tomcats accompanied by Russian long-range Tu-95 SM bombers during raids on the infrastructure of the Islamic State. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation published on Saturday short video where we can see how Iranians Tomcats escort Russian bombers while dropping bombs in Syria.
The first Iranian Tomcats were put into service at the time of Shah Reza Pahlavi, when the United States and the then Empire of Iran were allies. Service life of F-14 was extended until 2030 by installing a new local avionics, radar systems and weaponry.
The upgraded machines fly, assisting Russian bombers near the Israeli-Syrian border. It is believed that the protection of the Tu-95 SM during combat operations is secondary task. Thanks to the intelligence ELINT equipment their primary job is to fly in Syrian airspace near the border with Israel and to collect data on an Israeli air defense system. Tehran believes that the operations of this nature are safer for pilots and machines instead of solo flights that could be at risk of shot down by Israeli air defense.