Shamkhani's Statements on the New U.S. Strategy and Iran's Presence in Syria

The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic emphasized that Iran's presence in Syria will continue as long as the Damascus government desires it. Ali Shamkhani also stated that the strategy announced by the U.S. Secretary of State regarding Iran is 'neither a strategy nor new.' In an interview with Al Jazeera, Shamkhani described the remarks of Donald Trump's administration officials as 'bluster,' asserting that 'the Islamic Republic has always proven it will not surrender.' On May 30, Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated that Washington would impose 'the toughest sanctions in history' against Iran and that if the Iranian government does not change its behavior, the pressure of sanctions will increase. Pompeo's comments and the announcement of 12 conditions regarding Iran are described as the Trump administration's 'roadmap' for diplomacy towards Iran. These statements have faced both praise and criticism, including from Washington's allies. However, the White House spokesperson emphasized on June 3 that 'the media said we have no plan regarding Iran,' but 'the Secretary of State outlined our new strategy regarding Iran. The President will ensure that Iran has no path to acquiring nuclear weapons.' A few days after the Secretary of State's speech, Pompeo stated in an interview with Voice of America that the goal of the new strategy regarding Iran is not regime change but changing the behavior of its leaders. In another part of his interview with Al Jazeera, which was also reflected in the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, Shamkhani stated that Iran's 'advisory' presence in Syria is at the request of the central government of that country and 'as long as the threat of terrorism exists in Syria and the legitimate government of that country wishes, Iran's presence will continue.' These remarks are similar to those of the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson; after the Russian government's special representative for Syria emphasized the need for foreign forces, including Iranian forces, to leave Syria, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that Iran's presence in Syria is 'based on the invitation of the Syrian government' and no one can force Iran to do anything. The U.S., Israel, and several other countries have called for an end to the presence of Iranian-backed militias and military forces in Syria. Israel has stated that it will not accept the expansion of Iran's influence and power near its borders, which threatens its security, and will confront it. The United States has also described Iran's presence in Syria as an example of Tehran's 'destructive and destabilizing behavior.' Europeans, who emphasize maintaining the JCPOA and have criticized the U.S. President's withdrawal from it, have stated that they share Washington's concerns about Iran's behavior in the region. Recently, the Secretary-General of the United Nations also severely criticized Hezbollah's actions, calling on the group to cease its military activities both inside Lebanon and outside, including in Syria. Iran is the main supporter of Hezbollah, which is one of the most important groups supporting Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war.