DAMASCUS (Dispatches) -- Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian has declared unwavering support for Syria, stating that no action of the Zionist regime in the region has gone unanswered.
Speaking to in a joint presser here with his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad, Amir-Abdollahian said Iranian military advisors will keep staying in Syria.
The minister affirmed Iran’s dedication to standing by Syria in the fight against terrorism.
Amir-Abdollahian strongly condemned the presence of American military forces in Syria, stating that the security of regional countries is a common concern for both Iran and Syria.
He paid tribute to the martyrs of Iran and Syria, specifically mentioning recent attacks by the Zionist regime in Syria.
Amir-Abdollahian also said the besieged Gaza Strip has turned into a graveyard for Zionist soldiers more than four months into the war.
“Today, Netanyahu has been stuck in the quagmire of Gaza and Gaza has turned into a graveyard for the Zionists,” he said.
The Iranian diplomat also blamed the U.S. and its supply of weapons to Israel for the continuation of hostilities in Gaza.
“The U.S. cannot speak of the need for ending the war ... and simultaneously refuse to halt supply of weapons to Tel Aviv,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
The minister said he was carrying an official invitation from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad for an official visit to Tehran in the near future.
The Syrian foreign minister, for his part, said at the press conference that Iran and Syria share stances with regards to the situation in Gaza.
Mekdad said the delegation led by Amir-Abdollahian had held lengthy discussions with Assad on regional issues, especially on the issue of resistance in Gaza.
The Syrian foreign minister once again condemned the presence of U.S. and Turkish forces on Syrian soil, saying the forces have committed crimes and have violated human rights.
He said the U.S. should be held accountable for its recent airstrikes targeting Syria’s Raqqa.
Responding to a question about Syria’s plans to counter an increase in Israeli aggression on Syria in recent weeks, Mekdad said Syria has fought various wars with the Israeli regime over the past 75 years and is ready for another confrontation.
“But this will be Syria that will say where and how this war will be,” he said.
Amir-Abdollahian also met President Assad and discussed issues relate to bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of concern, including the Israeli war on Gaza.
Amir-Abdollahian said Gaza is the “main issue” not only at the regional but also at the international level. Iran and Syria, he said, have a “common position,” and “practical approach,” in supporting the Palestinians as the two sides have over the past four months continued their consultations regarding the issue.
Amir-Abdollahian said the Islamic Republic has always declared its firm position on Palestine and emphasized that the war is not a solution and the genocide of the Palestinians must immediately end.
“If the U.S. is true to its claim that it does not seek to expand the scope of war in the region, it should stop backing the Zionist regime, and if the U.S. stops supporting the Zionist regime, the regime will not be able to continue the war even for one day,” the top Iranian diplomat stated.
Amir-Abdollahian praised the resistance in Palestine as “strong and powerful”.
“Those who intended to destroy Hamas have now included the resistance movement as a reality in their political strategies and as a negotiating party in the ceasefire talks.”
The Iranian foreign minister also said Syria is on the front line of supporting the Palestinians and their cause.
Assad, for his part, said the Zionist regime and the West are currently at an impasse over the war in Gaza and that the Israeli escalation in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon is nothing but a Western-led attempt to get the illegal entity out of the impasse and save the regime.
“It is our duty to stand to the utmost of our ability alongside the Palestinian people because what these people achieved during the recent Israeli aggression on Gaza has not been achieved since the Palestinian issue arose decades ago,” he said.
Appreciating Iran’s support for Syria and its stability and security, Assad said, “What the Islamic Republic of Iran has done in the past four months in support of Palestine has once again proved to the world that Iran does not just talk but also acts.”
He said what happened in Palestine in recent months strengthened the spirit of resistance in the Arab world.
Amir-Abdollahian also met with about 15 officials from different Palestinian groups in the Syrian capital.