TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said that US military presence in Syria is in violation of the Arab country’s principles, making terrorist groups keep their presence in Syria as well.
“The US military presence in Syria is a violation of certain principles and laws of Syria, and the continued presence of terrorists in Syria is a result of the US presence in that country,” he said at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday.
The Foreign Ministry spokesman further argued that the Daesh terror group has never been a threat to the United States and its interests.
“If the purpose of the US military presence in Syria is to fight Daesh, then what is this group doing in Syria and how is the Tahrir al-Sham group operating in Syria?”, he noted, adding that swift action is need to stop the ongoing terrorist activities in Syria.
“The foreign minister started his trip from Syria yesterday and is in Turkiye today. Urgent action is needed to stop the activities of terrorists in Syria,” the spokesman said, in reference to the current regional tour by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The purpose of Araghchi’s trip to Syria was to convey the message of Iran’s support to Syrian authorities and to discuss the latest developments in the Arab country, Baghaei said, adding that the presence of the Iranian Foreign Minister at a Syrian restaurant sent the message that Damascus was safe.
At the diplomatic level, it is our duty and that of other countries to urge the international community to fight terrorism, which is the purpose of the top Iranian diplomat’s trips to Syria and Turkiye, he added.
Turkiye is an important neighbor for Syria and has played a key role in the Astana process, the spokesman said, adding that it has also played a useful role in reducing tension in Syria.
Baghaei also made clear that the Tahrir al-Sham group in Syria is on the UN list of terrorist groups.
“The developments in Syria are very complex, and given the protracted nature of the Syrian crisis, it is natural that its actors are diverse,” he said.
“Over the past 14 months, the Zionist regime has increased its attacks on Syria in order to damage Syria’s capabilities and equipment. The genocide in Gaza and the aggression in Lebanon have paved the way for terrorist groups to prepare in different regions of Syria, and the history of the Tahrir al-Sham group shows that the Zionist regime has supported these terrorists to weaken Syria.”
The Foreign ministry spokesman also maintained that the concurrence of recent developments in Syria with the ceasefire in Lebanon and recent statements by American officials in this regard indicate the existence of a kind of coordination and cooperation between terrorists, the United States, and the Zionist regime.
IRNA