Iran's Leader Calls Missile Attack by Three Western Countries on Syria a 'Crime'

The leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran described the missile attack by the United States, Britain, and France against the Syrian government as a 'crime' and stated that Iran 'will continue to stand by the resistance groups as before.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday, April 14, that the presidents of the United States and France and the Prime Minister of Britain 'committed a crime; they will gain nothing,' just as they gained nothing in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. In a meeting with Iranian officials and ambassadors from foreign countries, he emphasized that the Islamic Republic 'will continue to stand by the resistance groups as before, and the U.S. will certainly fail in its objectives in the region.' Ayatollah Khamenei also dismissed accusations regarding Iran's support for Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, as a means of 'expansionism,' calling it 'a false and unfounded statement,' and cited 'assisting the resistance front' as the reason for 'Iran's presence in Syria and the West Asia region.' Iranian officials refer to the Syrian government, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and armed Palestinian groups in Gaza as the 'resistance front' against Israel. Khamenei's remarks come as some political activists in Iran have severely criticized the actions of Qassem Soleimani and the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the region, attributing the emergence of ISIS to 'Qassem Soleimani's mismanagement.' For instance, political critic Mehdi Khazali stated in a video that if it weren't for Soleimani's presence in Syria, 'there would be no ISIS in Syria now.' Over the past four decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran has provided extensive financial and military support to the Assad family regime. However, during protests in December last year across more than a hundred cities in Iran, demonstrators chanted, 'Leave Syria, think of us.' Farmers in Isfahan have recently repeated this slogan in protests against severe water shortages in the province. According to United Nations statistics, over half a million people have been killed and millions displaced in the seven-year-long Syrian civil war. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Syrian military research and chemical weapons facilities on Friday night in coordination with France and Britain. He also warned Russia and Iran to end their support for the Assad regime. On Saturday, the European Union issued a statement fully supporting the missile attack on Syria, emphasizing that 'all countries, especially Iran and Russia, must use their influence to end any use of chemical weapons, especially by the Assad regime.' However, the leader of the Islamic Republic called the U.S. President's statements that the attack was aimed at countering the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government 'lies.' Ayatollah Khamenei attributed the actions of the U.S. and some Western countries to what he termed 'colonial and international dictatorial objectives,' adding that 'dictators will not succeed anywhere in the world, and the U.S. will certainly fail in its objectives in the region.' He stressed that 'retreat encourages the enemy, and standing firm will cause it to retreat.' The leader of the Islamic Republic also attacked Saudi Arabia, accusing Western countries of having created the Islamic State (ISIS) 'with Saudi money' without providing evidence. Saudi Arabia has supported the attacks by the three global powers on Syria. Meanwhile, according to Fars News Agency, Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of the leader of the Islamic Republic in the Kayhan newspaper, stated that since Saudi Arabia 'paid for' the U.S. attack on Syria, it should 'expect missiles.' Shariatmadari's comments come despite previous denials by Iranian officials of Iran's involvement in the missile attacks by the Houthis in Yemen against Saudi Arabia. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also announced on Saturday that 'the resilient Syrians, along with their strategic allies in Damascus, will not cease their path until complete victory, and the criminals and aggressors against this country and their regional supporters will not succeed.' This organization also condemned the silence or 'complicity' of some Islamic countries with these attacks, threatening that 'the fire of this crime will engulf the perpetrators and their supporters.' 'The stability and establishment of the entire region have been violated.' On Saturday, Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Islamic Republic, in a phone conversation with Bashar al-Assad, described the attacks by the U.S. and two European countries against the Syrian government as 'against international principles and an open support for terrorism.' He emphasized that this action 'was not just a blatant violation of Syrian territory but a violation of the stability and establishment of the entire region.' Rouhani stated that Iran will continue its activities in all international forums 'especially in cooperation with Russia and Turkey to achieve peace and stability in the region and Syria.' Rouhani's remarks come as the Turkish Foreign Ministry welcomed the attacks on Syria and accused Damascus of 'crimes against humanity.' In contrast, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, condemned the missile attack by the U.S. and its allies on Syria and called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council in this regard. Syria, Iran, and Turkey have held meetings in Astana, Kazakhstan, since January 2017 with the aim of establishing peace in Syria, which has led to the creation of four areas known as 'de-escalation zones' in Syrian territory. According to the Iranian presidential office, Bashar al-Assad also stated in a phone conversation with Hassan Rouhani that these attacks 'have brought no achievement' for the attacking countries. On Saturday, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, also described the attack by the three Western powers on Syria as 'criminal and illegal' and called the use of chemical weapons by Assad's government against civilians 'an allegation.' The Syrian government has denied the allegations from Western countries regarding the use of chemical weapons in last week's attack against Assad's opponents in the Eastern Ghouta region, claiming that it completely destroyed its chemical arsenal following the 2013 agreement between Russia and the U.S. However, the U.S., France, and other Western allies emphasize that they have evidence of the Assad army's use of chemical weapons in this attack. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has also stated that it will continue its fact-finding mission regarding the 'chemical attack' that occurred last week in Syria, even after the U.S. and its allies' missile attack on Syria.