Iran has no ground troops in Syria: Deputy FM
During his visit to Britain, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian reiterated that there is no Iranian fighting force in Syria but noted that Iranian advisers are helping the Syrian army in the battle against terrorist groups.
Iran has boosted the number of military advisers it has sent to Syria where it is determined to help defeat terrorism, Amir Abdollahian confirmed, while reiterating that the future of Syria can be decided only by the Syrian people.
In a Wednesday interview with the Guardian, Amir Abdollahian said there was “no (Iranian) fighting force, as such,” on the ground. But he said advisers were helping the Syrian army.
Amir Abdollahian also lashed out at Saudi Arabia, the leading supporter of terrorist and extremist groups in Syria, saying that its “radical policies” had encouraged the growth of terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL.
“The fight against terrorism in Syria has intensified and Russia has taken effective steps to fight Daesh (ISIL),” said Amir Abdollahian. “We have decided to increase the number of our military advisers in Syria to help the fight against terrorists. The number of officers and advisers is not important. What is important is an unwavering will to fight against terrorism.”
He said numbers were “commensurate with our capabilities and the requests made by the Syrian government. If need be, we will provide the same advisory services to our Russian friends.”
Amir Abdollahian also dismissed a scenario, related by diplomats, that Iran had urged Russia to intervene directly because it feared Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was in danger of falling after admitting losing territory and men. “We believe that armed groups even in the most demanding times were not able and will not be able to topple the Syrian government,” he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir Abdollahian dismissed a statement this week by the Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, that Syria was “occupied Iranian territory”, retorting that the Saudis were occupying Yemen, where Riyadh has been launching deadly air strikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to the fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, one of its close allies.
“Considering the fact that for seven months Saudi Arabia has been attempting to occupy Yemen using force, when it comes to Syria they are not in a position to make such comments,” he said. “I recommend that (Jubeir) instead of passing the buck considers cooperation and constructive behavior in the region.”
He also referred to a recent deadly crush in Mina, Saudi Arabia, saying Saudi “mismanagement” was responsible for the deaths of large numbers of pilgrims, including at least 465 Iranians, in the Hajj disaster last month.
Amir Abdollahian further said he had held constructive talks in Brussels with Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, on proposals to advance a political solution in Syria.
Amir Abdollahian is the most senior Iranian official to have visited Britain in a decade, weeks after embassies in both capitals were reopened following a four-year closure.
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