TEHRAN -- Iran’s ambassador to Syria says the Islamic Republic strongly rejects any form of occupation of Syria’s soil, be it the Golan Heights or elsewhere, and believes that all foreign forces will finally have to leave the Arab country.
In an interview with Lebanon’s Al-Ahed news website, Mahdi Sobhani underlined the necessity of changing the prevailing mentality about the security situation in Syria, saying the illegal presence of all occupying and terrorist forces must come to an end.
Israel occupied a large swathe of the Golan in 1976 and annexed it four years later – a move never recognized by the international community. The Zionist regime now plans to double the settler population in the Golan, prompting a UN General Assembly resolution last month in condemnation of the move.
The U.S. has also been maintaining an illegal military presence on the Syrian soil, collaborating with militants against Syria’s legitimate government, and bombing the positions of the Syrian army and anti-terror popular forces.
The U.S. military has stationed its forces and equipment in eastern and northeastern Syria with the alleged aim of preventing the oilfields in the areas from falling into the hands of the Daesh terrorists.
Damascus says the U.S. military occupation of Syria is meant to plunder the country’s resources, including its oil.
According to Sobhani, Syria’s enemies need to realize that their policy toward the country has failed and brought nothing but harm and destruction to regional nations.
“U.S. forces will be forced to leave Syrian territories. We cannot specify a time for this, but it must and will happen,” Iran’s ambassador said.
He said unlike the Cold War era, when great powers determined the end game in West Asia, new powers are currently in control of the region’s affairs.
“The U.S. is no longer able to determine the fate of the region as new powers have emerged, including the Axis of Resistance,” he said, stressing that the regional game has completely changed.
Resistance forces in Syria and neighboring Iraq have ramped up pressure to expel American troops from their countries. In recent months, U.S. positions have been targeted repeatedly in both Arab countries.
Commenting on economic and trade cooperation between Iran and Syria, Sobhani saidDamascus has hosted a number of exhibitions attended by around 120 Iranian companies in recent months, which shows security and stability has returned to Syria.
“The economic and trade cooperation between Iran and Syria and Iran’s participation in the reconstruction of Syria are important issues, because both countries are now at a sensitive juncture.”
The Iranian ambassador also said both Iran and Syria are grappling with an economic war being waged by the United States and its allies through extensive sanctions.
“Therefore,” Iran’s ambassador said, “more focus must be put on economic and trade aspects” of relations between Iran and Syria.