Iran's Foreign Minister to Attend Vienna Meeting on Syria

On Wednesday, November 6, the spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry announced that Mohammad Javad Zarif, along with several of his deputies, will participate in a one-day meeting in Vienna regarding Syria alongside their Russian and American counterparts. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), the meeting will include Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Abbas Araghchi, and Majid Takht-Ravanchi. This will mark the first participation of the Islamic Republic in an international meeting concerning Syria. Previously, while American officials had announced Iran's invitation to the Vienna meeting, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed the claims of the American counterpart regarding Iran's role in the Syrian crisis as 'completely rejected,' 'repetitive,' 'contrary to current realities,' and 'a diversion from the root problems in the region.' According to the state news agency IRNA, the spokesperson emphasized that Iran acts in the region 'based on its responsibilities and regional interests and will not allow anyone to dictate terms to Iran.' A day earlier, John Kirby, the U.S. State Department spokesperson, criticized Iran's role in the Syrian crisis, particularly its support for Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah, stating that 'they all have a share in this process.' However, the Iranian spokesperson attributed the 'serious and real' problems of the Syrian crisis to 'the military intervention and dual policies of the U.S. and its allies and the instrumental use of terrorist groups.' She added, 'It is interesting that the U.S., along with various countries such as Saudi Arabia, which have created al-Qaeda, the Taliban, al-Nusra Front, ISIS, and other terrorist groups and have the highest level of support for terrorism in their records, has formed an anti-terrorism front.' These statements come as American officials announced on Tuesday that Iran was invited to participate in international discussions regarding Syria's future. In this context, an unnamed regional official told Reuters that Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Deputy Foreign Minister, is expected to represent Iran at the upcoming international meeting on Syria this Thursday. It was noted that the participation of Mohammad Javad Zarif in this meeting is still uncertain. Last week, the U.S., Russia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia held a quadrilateral meeting in Vienna concerning the war in Syria. Meanwhile, Mohammad Javad Zarif and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have spoken on the phone three times since the meeting. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two foreign ministers emphasized that 'all key countries in the region' must participate in the process of resolving the Syrian crisis. The invitation for Iran to participate in discussions about Syria comes after several days of behind-the-scenes negotiations by Washington with Saudi Arabia, Russia, and several other countries regarding this decision. Iran and Saudi Arabia also have serious disagreements over Yemen and Bahrain. Iran is accused of supporting the Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen and opposes Saudi military intervention in the country.