US delaying tactic in Syria failed: Iran’s Shamkhani

A senior Iranian official says the US delaying tactic in Syria has failed to achieve any success due to close cooperation among Iran, Russia and Syria in the campaign against terrorists.

“Close cooperation among Iran, Russia and Syria in carrying out the recent operations against Takfiri terrorists in Syria has foiled the US delaying tactic, which aimed to impose its will on security equations in Syria,” Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said on Tuesday.

Referring to the efforts made by the United States and its regional allies to protect the so-called moderate terrorists, who have committed countless crimes against the Syrian people, he added that drastic blows have been dealt on land and from air to Takfiri terrorists in Syria.

The Iranian official stated that the massive propaganda campaign by Western and Saudi media against cooperation among Iran, Russia and Syria is part of a psychological warfare to cover up the heavy defeat of their allies in Palmyra (Tadmur in Arabic), Idlib, suburbs of Latakia and Aleppo.

The SNSC secretary added that certain Western and Arab countries, which dream of changing regional equations, have also been beaten by the political, defensive and security initiatives of the Islamic Republic.

Shamkhani dismissed the inaccurate comments about cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in the fight against terrorism and said, “The all-out relations between Iran and Russia, which are based on serving the national interests [of the two countries] and are ongoing within the framework of strategic cooperation, are not merely [confined to] the battle against terrorism and span broader dimensions.”

He emphasized that coordinating the capacities of one of the most powerful air forces in the world to defend the oppressed Syrian people and confront possible threats against Iran’s security indicates the Islamic Republic’s political initiative and military prowess.

The senior Iranian official said terrorism is a complicated phenomenon, adding that Iran has been pursuing "an immutable strategy" to create deterrence in the face of threats, particularly the danger of Takfiri terrorism, and will always utilize domestic and foreign capacities to strongly advance such a tactic.

Shamkhani’s remarks came a day after both Iran and Russia confirmed on Monday that Russian jets have ended using the Nojeh air base near the western Iranian city of Hamedan for conducting airstrikes against terrorists in Syria.

“All Russian military have left Iran’s Hamedan airbase,” Russian ambassador to Tehran, Levan Dzhagaryan, said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qasemi, also confirmed the halt and told reporters on Monday that Russia has stopped using the Iranian air base for strikes in Syria.

“Russia neither has a base in Iran nor is it stationed [there]. It was a mission which has been conducted and concluded for now,” Qasemi added in his weekly presser.

In a statement on August 16, the Russian Defense Ministry said the country’s warplanes had taken off from an air base in the western Iranian city of Hamedan to target Daesh Takfiri terrorists and other militants in Syria.

Iran and Russia are Syria’s main allies and have been assisting the government in Damascus in its fight against foreign-backed terrorist groups, including the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

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