UK Foreign Secretary Summons Iranian and Russian Ambassadors Over Aleppo Situation

Boris Johnson, the UK Foreign Secretary, announced that he has summoned the ambassadors of Iran and Russia regarding the situation in Aleppo. Johnson expressed his 'deep concern' about the state of the city to the ambassadors. He voiced worries over reports of executions and disappearances of opponents, as well as gunfire directed at ambulances. In a statement, Johnson said, 'Both Russia and Iran have failed to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law, particularly in delivering humanitarian aid to civilians during months of the siege of eastern Aleppo.' On Wednesday, several media outlets, including Reuters and the Al Arabiya website close to Saudi Arabia, reported that Iran, as one of the influential countries in the Syrian developments, has conditioned a ceasefire in Aleppo on the withdrawal of opposition militants from the Shiite-majority villages of Foua and Kafraya. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, dismissed reports about Iran's conditions for a ceasefire in Aleppo as 'fake news' and 'propaganda' against Iran, stating that it reflects 'the anger of some countries in the region and beyond regarding the new situation in Aleppo.' Samantha Power, the US representative at the United Nations, on Tuesday, called the Syrian government and its two allies, Iran and Russia, 'responsible for the crimes' in Aleppo. Iran, in turn, claims that Saudi Arabia and Turkey support extremist Islamists. Meanwhile, Iranian media reported that Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, had three phone conversations with Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey's Foreign Minister, regarding the latest developments in Syria from Wednesday to Thursday noon. Additionally, Mevlut Cavusoglu announced a trilateral meeting with the foreign ministers of Russia and Iran to discuss solutions to the Syrian crisis. According to AFP, the meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Iran is set to take place on December 27 in Moscow. Aleppo has almost completely fallen under the control of Bashar al-Assad's government forces and their allies. Reports indicate that a number of wounded, armed opponents, and civilians have exited from areas controlled by the opposition in Aleppo. Meanwhile, the Al-Alam network, affiliated with Iran's state media, announced that the first group of armed opponents of Bashar al-Assad has also left Aleppo. The summoning of the Iranian ambassador to the UK occurred five days after the summoning of the British ambassador to Tehran by the Iranian Foreign Ministry. On Saturday, December 20, Nicholas Hopton, the British ambassador in Tehran, was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, where Iran's government expressed its 'strong protest' against the remarks of the British Prime Minister at the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting. The following day, Iran's Foreign Minister described Theresa May's remarks as 'exaggerated' and the Minister of Defense called it a sign of the 'immaturity' of the British Prime Minister. Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, stated on Wednesday, December 7, to the Gulf Cooperation Council that the UK would assist these countries in standing against 'Iran's aggressive actions in the region.' In this context, Boris Johnson, on Thursday, December 18, criticized Saudi Arabia and Iran for 'proxy wars' in the Middle East and lamented the lack of 'strong leadership' in these countries. However, the Prime Minister's office stated that Johnson's views on Saudi Arabia do not reflect London's position on the country.