Sudani, Pezeshkian discuss tensions in Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Sunday received a call from Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, addressing the escalating situation in Syria and emphasized coordinating to prevent further destabilization, as Iraq intensifies efforts to secure its borders.

The two leaders discussed “recent developments in the region, particularly the evolving situation in Syria,” according to a statement from Sudani’s office. The two leaders stressed coordinating to “work toward preventing further destabilization in Syria, which could pose a threat to regional security and stability.”

Iranian state media IRNA reported that Pezeshkian expressed his country’s readiness “to counter these terrorist acts in order to maintain the security of the region, and emphasized the need for the convergence and cohesion of Islamic countries in helping Syria to overcome terrorist groups.”

A coalition of Syrian rebel groups, led by the jihadist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have made a dramatic grab of territory in northern Syria over the past five days. The Islamist fighters entered Syria’s largest city Aleppo on Friday afternoon after taking several villages in the surrounding countryside.

This is the first time the rebel groups have gained ground in years with the Syrian army admitting to losing territory.

The developments in Syria pushed Iraq to close its borders with the western neighbor.

On Sunday, Sudani held an “emergency meeting” with the government’s ministerial council for national security, commending efforts to secure Iraq’s borders and “directed all security leaders to maintain a strong field presence and closely follow developments… particularly along shared borders.”

Sudani talked with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday and offered him “all necessary support… to confront terrorism” and emphasized that the security of their countries is “linked.”