Iran’s FM emphasizes unwavering support for Syrian people, govt.
Iran has a strong will to expand cooperation with Syria in various fields and it will continue to stand by the Syrian nation and government, according to the country’s foreign minister.
In a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Bassam Sabbagh following their meeting in Tehran, Abbas Araghchi said they had ‘very positive’ discussions on the war in Gaza and Lebanon and the “strategic and solid” relations between the two countries.
“We welcome Syria's stability and unity, and condemn any attempts to destabilize the country,” he said.
Araghchi condemned Israel’s repeated aggressions against Syria and also Lebanon, saying they show the regime’s hostile and expansionist nature.
He urged the international community and the United Nations to condemn these aggressions and end their inaction.
On Israeli and Western threats against Iran, he asserted that Iran has demonstrated its resolve against any threats, particularly from Israel, stating that Iran reserves the right to respond to such aggressions as part of its defensive policy.
"I think Iran has proven its strategy to the Israeli regime and anyone who covets to threaten Iran; we will not allow any aggression against Iranian territory to go unanswered,” he said.
Araghchi noted that Iran makes decisions based on wisdom and careful consideration rather than haste or emotional reactions.
"Iran has proven that it always makes wise decisions based on wisdom and insight, and we neither rush nor procrastinate, and we avoid emotional decisions. We respond at the appropriate time,” he said.
US urged to pursue maximum rationality
He said the strategy of maximum pressure from the US has failed, as evidenced by Iran's resilience.
“The policy of pressure does not work, and we have demonstrated in practice that when they adopted a maximum pressure strategy, Iran implemented maximum resistance, and US officials have admitted that their policy has failed."
He suggested that instead of pursuing maximum pressure, the Americans must adopt a policy of maximum rationality and this would likely yield different results.
The Syrian foreign minister stated that the escalation of Israeli tensions in the region is part of an American and Zionist project aimed at redrawing the map of the area, with Israel serving as a tool for this objective.
Sabbagh said while they have succeeded in driving out many terrorist groups, some remain concentrated in northern Syria, where the government has been actively fighting.
“The Israeli regime has failed to achieve its goals and seeks to keep Syria preoccupied within its own territory, but they will not be distracted by these issues,” he said.
Regarding bilateral agreements, he said the Joint Economic Commission will soon begin meetings in Damascus.
He expressed satisfaction with bilateral relations but acknowledged that more work needs to be done.
He suggested that Iran and Syria must work to create mechanisms to mitigate the harmful effects of the Western sanctions.
Sabbagh said the region is reeling from the crimes of Israel, being committed against Palestine and extended to Lebanon and even Syria. He said there must be a halt to the crimes before any effective delivery of humanitarian aid.
“The Israeli regime should be punished,” he said, adding that Syria opposes any form of occupation and supports Iran’s right to respond to any crime.
The Syrian foreign minister emphasized the need to end the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights and reiterated commitment to bilateral cooperation against terrorism.
He said certain countries are taking destructive actions against the Syrian sovereignty and expressed hope for deeper coordination to confront these actions.
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