Rouhani: The Future of Syria Will Not Be in the Hands of Foreign Forces

The President of Iran, prior to a meeting with the Presidents of Russia and Turkey regarding Syria, called for the initiation of 'Syrian-Syrian dialogue' and stated that 'the fight of the Iranian government and people against terrorists will continue until all their roots in the region are eradicated.' According to reports, he also said that 'the future of Syria will not be in the hands of foreign forces.' Recently, 43 U.S. lawmakers expressed concern in a letter to Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, about Iran's military presence in Syria, stating that 'the permanent presence of the Islamic Republic in Syria poses a great danger to Israel, Jordan, and the United States.' Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that they will not allow Iran's presence in Syria to be consolidated. Mr. Rouhani, before his trip to Russia for a trilateral summit with the leaders of Russia and Turkey, referred to the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) group in the Boukamal region of Syria, saying that 'these successes do not mean that the issue of terrorism and ISIS is over, but their foundations have collapsed, and they no longer have territory to claim governance in the region.' He expressed hope that 'Syrian-Syrian dialogue' would begin to discuss the future of Syria. The Iranian President considered the important issue for the Islamic Republic to be 'the territorial integrity and sovereignty and independence of Syria' and stated that 'reconstruction and the return of refugees' are among other important issues. Mr. Rouhani's statements come as Iranian officials have previously described the remaining of Bashar al-Assad in power until the end of his presidential term in 2021 as a 'red line' for the Islamic Republic. Hassan Rouhani, Vladimir Putin, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Presidents of Iran, Russia, and Turkey, will meet on Wednesday in Sochi to discuss Syria. Prior to the summit of the three countries' leaders in Sochi, Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, participated in a trilateral meeting of the Chiefs of Staff of the Russian, Turkish, and Iranian armies on Monday, November 20. Concurrently with the meeting of the leaders of Iran, Russia, and Turkey, opponents of Bashar al-Assad's government are also set to gather on Wednesday in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to discuss the participating delegation in the peace talks. Iran has managed to negotiate with Turkey and Russia regarding the Syrian civil war after a long period of tension, while Ankara was previously moving closer to Saudi Arabia and its allies. Since January 2017, Russia, Iran, and Turkey have regularly held meetings in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, with the 'goal of establishing peace' in Syria, which has led to the creation of four areas known as 'de-escalation zones' within Syrian territory. On Sunday, Mevlut Cavusoglu, Sergey Lavrov, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign ministers of these three countries, had discussed Syria behind closed doors in Antalya, Turkey. The Turkish foreign minister mentioned that one of the topics discussed in this meeting was consultations regarding the rapid deployment of Russian and Iranian forces near the Idlib province of Syria to ensure the security of the 'de-escalation zone.' One day before the Sochi summit, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, the Presidents of Russia and the United States, discussed the Syrian crisis as well as issues concerning Iran, North Korea, and Ukraine during a 'one-hour' phone call. In another part of his remarks, the Iranian President accused the U.S. and Israel of 'seeking tension in the region' and added that 'unfortunately, some countries whose rulers are newly emerged have been influenced by insinuations.' The Islamic Republic's officials refer to the current leaders of Saudi Arabia as 'newly emerged rulers.' One day before Mr. Rouhani's statements, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, in response to a letter from the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards, described the 'blow' to the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria and Iraq as a 'blow' to 'previous and current U.S. governments' and their allied countries in the region, accusing these countries of having 'created ISIS.' The Islamic Republic's officials have repeatedly accused the U.S., Britain, and Saudi Arabia of creating and supporting the ISIS group. This claim comes at a time when the Islamic State (ISIS) has faced heavy bombardment from U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria and Iraq for a long time, and U.S.-backed armed groups have recently managed to capture Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of that group in Syria, and push its forces back in large areas of northern and eastern Syria. Meanwhile, the U.S. and Arab countries have always accused Iran of interfering in the internal affairs of several regional countries, including Syria. For instance, Barack Obama, the former President of the United States, during his presidency, held Russia and Iran, alongside the Assad regime, responsible for the massacre of civilians in Aleppo. Previously, some critics within Iran have also severely criticized Qassem Soleimani's and the Quds Force's actions in the region, attributing the 'creation' of the ISIS group to 'the mismanagement of Qassem Soleimani.' For example, Mehdi Khazali, a political critic, stated in a video last year that if Qassem Soleimani had not been present in Syria, 'there would not be an ISIS in Syria now.'