ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Mohammad Ali Jafari reiterated his country’s support for the Syrian president on Monday, saying that Tehran would do its best to keep him in power.
“Some people just don’t get it and say that Assad shouldn’t be there and someone else should be,” Jafari was quoted by ISNA news agency as saying at a meeting about Iran’s nuclear deal with the Western powers.
Jafari said that the Syrian president Bashar Assad is the only one protecting Syria: “The majority of Syria’s people support Assad,” adding, “We seek no one else other than him,”
Maj. Gen. Jafari maintained that the Western powers have suggested to Iran that they would agree to any replacement to Assad.
His army however, said Jafari, would do its best “help the Syrian government and its people.”
There have been reports of thousands of Iranian troops and military advisors helping the Syrian army against rebel groups.
Iranian news media reported last month that at least 20 Iranian soldiers were killed in battle near Aleppo in October.
The Iranian commander appreciated Russia’s involvement in the Syrian war, adding however that Moscow might have other motives.
“Our northern neighbour (Russian) that has now come and offers military support is after its own interests and may not be interested in keeping Assad as we do,” Jafari said. “But still, it has come whether just to be nice or any other reason, and is helping.”
Jafari’s comments came a day after Iran’s deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told his country’s state TV that Tehran does not compromise over Assad’s presidency in any talks over the Syria crisis.
“We have shown no compromise in these talks,” said Amir-Abdollahian in an interview.
He added: “In the last five years there have been meetings with various countries about the situation in Syria but because Iran was not present in those meetings no solution was ever found,”
Also on Monday Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani responded to comments by Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister who following the Vienna talks over the weekend attacked Tehran’s policies in the region.
Rouhani called the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, 50, young and inexperienced “who talks big,”
Rouhani in turn accused Riyadh of regional interferences, saying, “If Saudi Arabia’s view on issues in the region gets close to reality and they quit their interferences and walk away from the wrong path, then lots of issues could be discussed and cooperated on,”
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