Iran’s Shamkhani Warns against US Adventurism in Syria
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani warned the White House against any possible military move against the Syrian government under the pretext of “false claims”, saying it would be tantamount to “playing with fire”.
“Raising new false claims against Syria is a continuation of the US scenario to cover up the constant defeats of the terrorist front and to counteract the decisive advances of the Syrian army,” Shamkhani said on Wednesday.
He made the remarks in response to the White House’s statement that the US has “identified potential preparations” by the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad for another chemical attack.
The Iranian official further pointed to a unilateral move by the US to attack Syria with 59 Tomahawk missiles back in April after Washington’s claims on a suspected chemical attack in the rebel-held Idlib province, saying that Iran and Russia called for an international fact-finding mission in Syria after the incident, but the US prevented the move because of its fears that the falsity of its claims would be revealed.
“Undoubtedly, the unwise and adventurist behaviors of the US in Syria is a clear instance of playing with fire…,” he noted, warning about negative consequences of the US unilateral move in violation of the principles of the international laws and Syria’s national sovereignty.
White House on Monday night warned there are "potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack" by the Syrian government.
In an ominous statement issued with no supporting evidence or further explanation, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the US had "identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children."
The announcement comes amid rising tensions in Syria between the US-led coalition and Russia, which is backing the Syrian government.