Iran, Russia Present in Syria to Prevent US Unilateralism: Syrian Official
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – A Syrian deputy information minister hailed the presence of Iran and Russia in war-hit Syria, saying that the efforts by Tehran and Moscow in the Arab country are aimed at preventing the US from taking unilateral measures in global affairs.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Ali al-Ahmed pointed to recent threats by the US to end cooperation with Russia in Syria, saying that Moscow will not change its stances as a result of Washington’s pressures because the issue is not related only to Syria and its national security but also to the geopolitical future of Russia.
He further said it is true that the battle in Syria is related to the Arab country but it is also a battle for Iran and Russia to prevent Washington’s unilateral acts in managing world affairs.
US Secretary of State John Kerry threatened on Sept. 28 to end all cooperation between Washington and Moscow to stop Syria’s civil war, unless Russian and Syrian government attacks on Aleppo end.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.
In the meantime, Iran and Russia have remained close allies of Syria and support its legitimate government in the face of foreign-backed militancy.
Tehran insists that the Syrian nation is the only side that has the right to shape the future of its own country, rejecting foreign intervention with the use of force.
