Syria’s Assad meets prime Iranian leaders in shock Tehran go to | Bashar al-Assad Information

Tehran, Iran – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has held conferences with Iran’s supreme chief and the nation’s president throughout a shock go to to Tehran, a key army backer of the Syrian regime.

Assad met with Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi after making an unannounced go to to the Iranian capital on Sunday morning after which left for Damascus the identical day, in response to Nournews, an outlet affiliated with Iran’s Supreme Nationwide Safety Council (SNSC).

The supreme chief’s web site confirmed the assembly. Its readout of the uncommon sit-down quoted Khamenei as telling Assad that his “victory in a global battle” has elevated the credibility of Syria, and that Iran needs to spice up bilateral ties.

“Right now’s Syria isn’t Syria earlier than the battle, regardless that there was no destruction again then, however now the respect and credibility of Syria is way more and all look to it as an influence,” Khamenei was quoted as saying.

Khamenei additionally took intention at international locations within the area which have normalised ties with Israel or maintain high-level conferences with its officers, saying that is whereas their very own individuals are chanting anti-Zionist slogans on Quds Day.

That is the Syrian president’s second journey to Tehran for the reason that begin of Syria’s battle in 2011. He had beforehand met the Iranian supreme chief, his greatest regional ally, in February 2019.

On the time, Qassem Soleimani, the commander-in-chief of the Quds Power, the international operations arm of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), had accompanied Assad on his go to.

Soleimani was assassinated by a United States drone assault in Iraq in January 2020 below former President Donald Trump.

Iran’s stances on regional points

Throughout Sunday’s assembly, the Iranian supreme chief additionally remembered Soleimani and stated his efforts in Syria had been no completely different than these through the eight-year Iran-Iraq Conflict ending in 1988, which Iran considers a interval of “holy defence”.

“This connection and relationship is important for each international locations and we should not enable it to be weakened, however should strengthen it as a lot as doable,” Khamenei stated.

Assad was quoted by the supreme chief’s web site as telling Khamenei and Raisi that Iran’s stances on regional points, particularly Palestine, through the previous 4 a long time have proven that “Iran’s path is an accurate and basic path.

“The destruction of battle will be rebuilt, but when fundamentals and fundamentals are destroyed they can’t be restored,” he reportedly stated.

Almost 400,000 folks have been killed within the 11-year battle in Syria, in response to the UN. The battle has left giant elements of Syria in ruins and displaced greater than half of the nation’s inhabitants, with tens of millions pressured to hunt refuge in neighbouring international locations.

Assad additionally stated some consider Iran provides its so-called “axis of resistance” throughout the area with weapons, however its most necessary backing consists of supporting the “spirit of resistance” and sustaining it. He added that “strategic” ties between Iran and Syria have develop into the primary issue stopping Israel’s dominance over the area.

Iran together with Russian army help turned the battle in Assad’s favour.

‘Strengthening deterrence’

In a separate assembly with Assad, the Iranian president lamented that elements of Syrian soil are nonetheless managed by international forces and stated “occupying forces and their mercenaries should be pressured out.”

Raisi additionally stated that “threats by the Zionist regime within the area should even be thought of by means of strengthening and diversifying deterrence equations.”

He pledged that boosting ties, particularly financial and enterprise relations with Syria is a prime precedence for his administration, including that he’s additionally able to cooperate extra on political and safety points and preventing “terrorism”.

Assad was quoted by the president’s web site as saying the US position within the area is weakening within the face of regional resistance.

“Expertise has confirmed that cooperation amongst regional international locations on a spread of points together with Palestine has been extremely efficient, and Palestinian successes have proven that compromise by some Arab international locations has led to reverse outcomes,” he stated.

In March, the Syrian president travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – his first journey to an Arab state for the reason that Syrian battle started in 2011 – throughout which he met Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE and Bahrain established formal diplomatic relations with Israel in 2020. A number of different Arab international locations adopted go well with.