News / Politics

Iran slams US military attack on Syrian military convoy

Saturday, 20 May 2017 5:58 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 22 May 2017 12:57 PM ]

In this image released by the US Navy, the guided-missile destroyer, USS Porter, conducts strike operations against Syria while in the Mediterranean Sea on April 7, 2017.

Iran has censured an airstrike by US military aircraft on a convoy of Syrian government forces, saying the move was carried out with the goal of changing the existing balance in the battlefield.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Saturday that such moves would deal an irreparable blow to recognized international principles if the international community remains silent and indifferent.

Unnamed US military officials said Thursday that American jets had struck a convoy of 27 tanks heading towards a garrison in al-Tanf near the Jordanian border. A US official said the attack destroyed at least one tank and a bulldozer.

Qassemi stated that the US airstrike was a clear violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria as an independent country and a member of the international community.

The attack was also indicative of the US unilateralism in the international system and its disregard for internationally-recognized regulations, Qassemi said.

"This attack has been carried out under an unfounded pretext and with the purpose of covering up the problems facing the American statesmen at both domestic and international levels," the Iranian spokesperson said.

It is also a clear instance of the destructive interference in the region by the US administration, which seeks to change regional equations at specific junctures, Qassemi added.

He warned that such measures could have destructive impacts on the ongoing developments in Syria and the fight against terrorism.

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