Ayatollah Khamenei: Syria now looked upon as a power despite devastation of war

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says despite the devastation done to Syria by years-long war, the country is now looked upon as a major power.

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a Sunday meeting with Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad during the latter’s second visit to Tehran.

“Today, Syria is not the same Syria that it was before the war, although the devastation [of war] was not there at that time, but now Syria enjoys a higher degree of respect and credit and all countries look upon it as a power,” the Leader said, referring to major achievements of Syria in both political and military arenas.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that Syrian president and its nation are now honored by all regional nations, adding, “Some leaders of countries that are neighbors to us and you, have relations with the leaders of the Zionist regime and drink coffee together. However, people of the same countries pour into the streets on [International] Quds Day and chant anti-Zionism slogans and this is the current reality of the region.”

He said various factors were influential in Syria’s resistance and victory in an international war, adding, “One of the most important of those factors was your own high morale and, God willing, you would be able to reconstruct the ravages of war with the same morale, because you have a great work to do.”

The Leader also commemorated the assassinated commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Quds Force Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, saying, “That honorable martyr harbored a special zeal for Syria and made sacrifices in the true sense of the word. His conduct in Syria was no different from his conduct during the eight-year Sacred Defense in Iran.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said the high morale and vibrancy of the Syrian president could facilitate great works, adding, “The president and administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran are also really vibrant and have veer high moral and strong determination and they are very serious about the issue of Syria. This opportunity must be used to promote bilateral relations more than any time before.

The Syrian president, for his part, thanked the Iranian nation and government for their support, saying, “The steadfastness of Iran and its unwavering stances in the past four decades on regional issues, especially on the issue of Palestine, have shown to the entire world that Iran’s path is a correct and principled path."

He added that the ravages of war could be reconstructed, but if principles are lost, they cannot be reconstructed.

“The steadfastness of the Iranian nation on the principles and fundaments laid by [the late founder of the Islamic Republic] Imam Khomeini, which has continued through your determination, has paved the way for great triumphs of the great nation of Iran and the regional people, especially the people of Palestine,” Assad said.

The Syrian president said the strategic relations between Iran and Syria was a major factor, which prevent the Zionist regime from dominating the entire region.

According to Iran's Nour News news agency, following his important talks in Tehran on Sunday, the Syrian leader left for Damascus.

Assad paid his first visit to Tehran in February 2019, after a tripartite Iran-Russia-Syria coalition managed to suppress Takfiri terrorists and restore partial peace to the Arab country.

Then commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Quds Force Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani accompanied the Syrian president in his first Tehran visti. General Soleimani was later assassinated by the occupying US forces in Iraq upon direct order of then US President Donald Trump.

During their first meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei told Assad that the Islamic Republic was honored to support Syria and considered it equal to supporting the entire resistance front.

The Leader mentioned resistance of Syrian president and people as the main reason behind the defeat of the United States and its regional mercenaries, noting, "The Islamic Republic of Iran considers supporting the Syrian government and people as helping the resistance movement and current, and takes pride in it from the bottom of its heart."

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