Iran will not keep Syria’s Assad in power ‘forever’

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.

“The number of officers and advisers is not important. If need be we will provide the same advisory services to our Russian friends”.

Iran routinely denies having any combat forces in Syria but Lebanese sources told Reuters earlier this month that hundreds of troops had arrived since September to carry out a planned major ground offensive against enemies of the Assad regime.

Amir-Abdollahian dismissed the scenario, related by diplomats, that Iran had urged Russian Federation to intervene directly because it feared Assad was in danger of falling after admitting losing territory and men.

Amir-Abdollahian hit back at the criticism from Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir.

The foreign office declined to comment further on the meeting.

Amir-Abdollahian said he had held constructive talks in Brussels with Federica Mogherini, the European Union foreign policy chief, on proposals to advance a political solution in Syria.

Moscow had banned the delivery of the S-300 system to Tehran in 2010 under the pretext that the agreement it signed with Iran in 2007 was covered by the fourth round of the UN Security Council sanctions against the country over its nuclear program.

It was the first visit by an Iranian delegation to Britain since the two countries re-opened their embassies in London and Tehran due to a thaw in relations. Around 8 million others have been displaced internally.

“Some parties who have been playing a destructive role in Syria by supporting terrorists, should now think of a constructive role in this country”, emphasized he. “We have no problem whatsoever with this effort and it may even help make certain that the targets are the targets that they ought to be”.

Speaking on background, a senior Iranian official was scathing about Saudi Arabia’s political system as well as that of its neighbour and ally Bahrain, another member of the nine-strong Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.