Valiati: Assad is Our Red Line as Long as He Remains in Power

Ali Akbar Velayati, the international advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, emphasized in an interview with Al Jazeera that Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, is a 'red line' for the Islamic Republic as long as he is in 'power'. He also implicitly stated that Iran does not recognize Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi as the legitimate President of Yemen. According to a report on Friday, August 9, by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Velayati stressed that the Islamic Republic supports a 'political solution' in Syria, provided that 'everyone in this country lays down their arms and stops the war'. He added: 'If one day... the Syrian people change their government or president without any foreign interference... that issue is up to them, provided that no one, whether the U.S., Turkey, the U.K., or other countries, interferes.' Velayati had also stated on Tuesday, July 30, that Iran's regional policies will not change after the comprehensive nuclear agreement with world powers, but will be strengthened. Three days prior, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, mentioned Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq, stating that the Islamic Republic will not abandon support for its 'friends' in the region after the Vienna nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah Lebanon, also emphasized on Saturday, August 3, that Iran will continue to support its allies in the region after the Vienna nuclear agreement. On the other hand, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, believes that the funds released to Iran from the recent nuclear agreement with world powers have already led to 'celebrations by Bashar al-Assad and Hassan Nasrallah'. The international advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran further stated that no country has the right to consider another country as its 'strategic depth', emphasizing that Iraq is not Iran's 'strategic depth' and Yemen is not Saudi Arabia's 'strategic depth'. He also added: 'If Mr. [Abdrabbuh Mansur] Hadi were the legitimate President of Yemen, he would not have fled and abandoned his country.' Velayati stated that to resolve the Yemen crisis, 'all foreign interventions' in the country must cease and 'free and fair' elections should be held 'under international auspices and with UN supervision'. Velayati's statements come as Ali Saidi, the Supreme Leader's representative in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, described Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, and Latin America as the 'strategic depth' of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Thursday, October 24, 2014. Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated on Tuesday, April 14, that the export of the Islamic Revolution outside Iran is in a 'very favorable' condition and that the revolution 'needs to progress faster' within Iran. In recent months, and also after the Vienna nuclear agreement, officials from some Arab countries have expressed concern over Iran's increasing influence in the region. Reuters reported on Wednesday, August 7, that most Gulf countries are worried that the Iran-U.S. relationship will strengthen following the signing of the nuclear agreement, emboldening Tehran to seek further expansion of its influence. According to this report, Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, accused Tehran of contributing to the multipolarity of the Middle East with its 'aggressive and confrontational' policies. In this interview, the international advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic also stated that the Islamic Republic has 'no real disagreement' with the Hamas group. Regarding the visit of Hamas members to Saudi Arabia, he said, 'They know what they are doing... our friendship does not allow us to interfere in their internal affairs.' After years of tension, on Friday, July 26, Khaled Mashal, the head of Hamas's political bureau, met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh at the head of a delegation of senior officials from this Palestinian group. Relations between Hamas and Saudi Arabia soured after the latter supported the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi's government in Egypt and the crackdown on members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas officials have emphasized in recent months that their improved relations with Saudi Arabia are not against Tehran.