Lawmaker Stresses Iran’s Key Role in West’s Retreat over Syria
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian lawmaker said the firm stands adopted by Iran caused western powers to retreat from their previous position to imminently attack Syria.
“The mighty and firm stands adopted by Iran led to a turnabout in the military approach the West had taken against Syria and to their decision to put off a possible strike," Member of Parliament Qassem Jafari told Tasnim.
Jafari added that the major objective of military intervention in Syria is the disintegration of that country and collapse of the Syrian political system, but he said the recent victories of the Syrian army against the rebels and popularity of President Bashar al-Assad and his government among people have worked to increase national solidarity in that country.
US President Barack Obama on Saturday said he believed that military force should be used against Syria but backed away from an imminent strike to seek the approval of Congress.
The Iranian lawmaker referred to this backtracking as a clear sign that the threats were more part of a psychological campaign than a war strategy.
Some western countries have announced they would not get involved in a possible military intervention waged by the US, Jafari said, so it seems there will be no attack, and if there is one, it will only be a symbolic strike to prove that their threats were not in vain.
The US has been pushing for military action on Syria, after foreign-backed opposition forces accused President Bashar al-Assad’s government of carrying out a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
The US and France seem to be the only western countries ready to strike Syria, but recent opinion polls in both countries have shown strong opposition to a military involvement there.
Britain has already voted against taking any military action on Syria, and France has said it will not act without the United States as a partner.
On Sunday, US lawmakers questioned the possible unintended consequence of dragging the US into another military conflict and the wisdom of acting without broader international backing to share the burden.
The US Congress is due to reconvene on September 9 and will hold a vote on military action at some point after that.