Iran's Interior Minister Emphasizes Tehran's Support for the Syrian Government

Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, Iran's Interior Minister, emphasized support for the Syrian government during a meeting with Syria's Interior Minister in Damascus on Monday. He stated, "Syria has achieved a good position through resistance in political and military arenas, and enemies have come to the negotiating table after accepting their defeat in the war." According to IRNA news agency on Monday, January 21, the interior ministers of Iran and Syria stressed the necessity of fighting against "the line that supports Takfiri terrorism." Rahmani Fazli, who is on a two-day visit to Damascus, also mentioned that "some Islamic governments use oil, economy, and geopolitical positions to serve the enemies of Islam instead of defending and supporting Muslims," without naming Saudi Arabia. He described the current situation in Syria as one where "Syria has achieved a good position through resistance in political and military arenas, and enemies have come to the negotiating table after accepting their defeat in the war." He added, "In negotiations, we must be vigilant so that the enemy cannot achieve its goals that it could not obtain in war at the negotiating table." Peace negotiations between the Syrian government and its opponents are scheduled to take place on January 25 (February 4) with the efforts of the United Nations. Recently, Iranian officials have accused Saudi Arabia of intentionally escalating tensions with Iran following the execution of Sheikh Nimr, a Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia, claiming that Saudi Arabia aims to prevent the implementation of Iran's nuclear agreement with six world powers and influence the situation in Syria. Among them, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, accused Saudi Arabia on Sunday, January 20, during a meeting with Staffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria in Tehran, of "trying to negatively influence the Syrian crisis with its provocative actions, and Iran will not allow this." Rahmani Fazli's visit to Damascus occurred just one day after Zarif's statements. On the other hand, Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, emphasized that "tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia will not affect efforts for peace negotiations in Syria." Iran and Hezbollah Lebanon support Bashar al-Assad's government by providing financial and military assistance. On Monday, Rahmani Fazli reiterated that Iran "trains and equips Syrian government forces but does not have a direct presence in the country; rather, it has an advisory role." Meanwhile, according to official reports in Iran, dozens of commanders of the IRGC and members of the Basij have been killed in the war against Bashar al-Assad's armed opponents in Syria. In the meeting between the Iranian and Syrian interior ministers in Damascus, Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar, Syria's Interior Minister, expressed gratitude for the assistance from Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia, stating, "Our forces have now moved from a defensive to an offensive position and have achieved significant successes, and we are advancing." Meanwhile, according to AFP, Riyad Hijab, the former Syrian Prime Minister and now a senior member of the opposition groups against Bashar al-Assad, emphasized during a meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Paris that the opposition "will not negotiate with Bashar al-Assad's government as long as foreign forces are bombing the country." Russia has been conducting airstrikes against armed groups in the war against the Syrian government since last September to assist Bashar al-Assad's government.