Syrian FM in Iran For Talks With Allies

The Iranian announcement coincided with visits to Tehran by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov of Russian Federation, another ally of the Damascus regime in its conflict against insurgents.

Russian Federation is said to have backed Iran in advising Mr Al Assad to defend core geographical areas in Syria and avoid dispersing his army.

There is no way to save Syria unless Middle Eastern countries unite to battle the Islamic State (IS), an Egyptian diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

The Islamic republic has acknowledged that its military commanders are present in Iraq and Syria for military consultations. Kerry and Lavrov would “discuss a range of ‎issues of mutual concern” at the meeting in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, a senior official of the U.S. State Department said without elaborating.

“The claim that the deal has blocked Iran’s path to a nuclear bomb is a renewed attempt to prove the absurdity of the topic”, he said, adding that Iran never wanted to build a nuclear bomb and will never want to build one.

“It seems to me that all regional and global players are rushing around trying to establish a new order in the wake of the Iran deal, and it’s going to continue”, he said.

The Interfax news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying Wednesday that a delegation of the Syrian National Coalition opposition group has been invited to visit Moscow next week.

Iran sought mediation between the Syrian government and the UN to have former Secretary-General Kofi Annan and later Lakhdar Brahimi recognized as representatives of the UN special envoy to Syria, he said.

Moscow also has a longstanding relationship with Iran. Turkey has called for a protected zone in northern Syria, which could relieve pressure on rebels fighting government forces.

U.S. Congress has until September 17 to vote on the deal. In a speech last month – his first public address in a year – he acknowledged his troops had lost territory and were running short on manpower, but he vowed to win the war, making clear he would fight to the end. For the Iranians to advance their interests in Arab countries where the Shia are a minority, they must divide societies and exploit their contradictions, allowing them to retain control over key districts.

Velayati said, “Their dreams will not come true and their seditious and divisive plots will not yield results in Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon and other countries”. He has said he will not step down while Syria is in turmoil, and his enemies say there can be no peace settlement until he goes.