Pres. Raeisi: US seeks to maintain Syria’s economic, security problems in different form

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raeisi says the United States seeks to maintain the security and economic problems that are now facing the war-torn Syria in a different manner.

Iran’s chief executive made the remarks in a Monday meeting with the visiting director of Syria’s General Security Directorate Major General Ali Mamlouk, during which he lauded the Syrian people’s resistance against terrorist groups and called for protection of the country’s territorial integrity.

“The animosity of arrogant powers against the regional nations has not decreased and the United States seeks to keep up the security and economic problems that it has created for Syria in a different form,” Iran’s president said.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy over the past decade.

Since the onset of the Syria crisis in 2011, the US, the European Union and some Arab states — which have been supporting militant groups in their fight against the Syrian government —  have imposed draconian sanctions against the Arab country over what they claim to be sponsoring terror and attacking civilians.

The US imposed a set of sweeping economic sanctions against Syria last year. The much-condemned Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, signed into law by former President Donald Trump, targeted individuals and businesses anywhere in the world that operate either directly or indirectly in Syria’s economy.

The restrictive measures have blocked imports of essential goods, impacting the Syrian people’s access to medical equipment, food, heating, gas and electricity.

Reflecting on the profound relations between Tehran and Damascus, Raeisi noted that the two nations cannot be separated from each other.

“Syria is the frontline of the fight against the Zionist regime and the unity of Muslim countries and nations is necessary to counter this regime’s actions,” the Iranian president said.

He stressed the importance of improving bilateral economic cooperation between Tehran and Damascus and said, "The existing obstacles to the promotion of economic relations must be removed and the current strategic relations between the two sides must be developed."

Mamlouk, for his part, extended warm greetings of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the Iranian people and government and said Damascus would never forget Tehran's support for Syria in the battle against terrorists.

In a Sunday meeting with Mamlouk, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said the illegal presence of US occupying forces in Syria is the most important barrier to the establishment of peace and security in the war-torn country.

Iran security chief: US presence in Syria biggest impediment to establishment of peace, stability in country

Iran’s top security official says US presence in Syria is the main obstacle to the establishment of peace and security in the war-torn country.

Shamkhani added that the United States plays a destructive role in the world by creating regional and global crises in order to dominate other countries and plunder their resources and said, "Pursuing the same goal, the US presence in Syria is the biggest obstacle to achieving peace and stability in the country today.”

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